Awkward Child
by xXHeart of GoldXx
Summary: Amanda's niece, Erica, comes to spend the winter with the De Santa's. She's extremely odd for a child who is quiet, but Amanda is warned by her sister that the nine year old causes trouble. Just how much trouble can a kid who reads Shakespeare for fun get in to?
1. Chapter 1

Amanda had arrived at Los Santos International Airport an hour early just in case the flight had been early. She was picking up her niece who she hadn't seen since the nine year old was born. Amanda's sister had been put into a six month rehabilitation program a few months prior while her boyfriend had been arrested just a few days ago. Not wanting to put her daughter in foster care for another extended period of time, she called Amanda and asked her to take her until she was released from rehab in March. When she had explained her younger sister's request to her husband, Michael actually took it quite well and agreed to it. He had even said it might be fun to have someone over from the family for Christmas this year.

Amanda had been thrilled that there hadn't been a fight about the ordeal. However, the kids hadn't been too keen on the situation. Tracey complained that she'd be stuck babysitting while she should be focusing on finals and Jimmy had just been selfish saying that he wouldn't be getting as much for Christmas with a kid around. Just for that comment, Michael already decided not to get him the first thing on his Christmas list. Enraged, Jimmy had stormed out of the house. Of course he returned after an hour, complaining that riding his bike had made him tired, thirsty, and hungry.

She had arrived at the airport by herself since Michael was working on producing another movie with Solomon Richards and couldn't get the day off. She understood and didn't start a fight considering she hadn't seen him this happy in a long time. She was glad he finally had something to look forward to on the week days. Furthermore, it kept him busy and he didn't have time to bum around the house annoyingly. For the first time in her life, Tracey had a legitimate excuse as she had class. She, of course, was known to skip, but the fact that finals week started next Monday, she actually had to go. Jimmy, on the other hand, just simply didn't want to accompany his mother. She didn't beg or ask him a second time to prevent another fight.

The flight did end up arriving forty minutes early. She stood, trying to see over the crowd to find a little girl who flew to Los Santos on her own. She spotted the girl who had light red hair that could be mistaken for blonde if she were in a different light. A flight attendant was leading her around to help her find her way. Amanda didn't have a picture to go by, but her sister's description had been enough. "Are you Amanda De Santa?" the flight attendant questioned her as she approached.

"Yes I am, thank you," Amanda said. The flight attendant had asked for ID, which she had provided after fishing through her purse for her driver's license. Satisfied, the flight attendant left the girl with her. So, this was Erica Meyers, a girl who looked too small to be nine years old and was being raised by her heroine addicted sister who still stripped for a living. Amanda assumed she had started to sell herself, but she couldn't be sure as her sister never admitted to doing that. Her sister's boyfriend wasn't even Erica's father, so she wondered how this little girl's home life had been while her mother had been gone. Not to mention that she had been in foster homes three times in her young life. Amanda felt sorry for her as she hadn't had a stable childhood. Well, Tracey and Jimmy hadn't had the best childhood in North Yankton, either, but at least they always had their mom and dad.

Erica had these striking blue-green eyes that were filled with mystery. Her sister mentioned Erica got into trouble a lot, so to be wary of her. She wondered what kind of trouble a small nine year old girl could get into. Obviously, Erica looked nothing like her sister who had brown hair and eyes very much like herself. "Hi, Erica. I'm your aunt, Amanda," she introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you," Erica replied politely.

"Where's your suitcase?" Amanda asked her.

"I didn't have one. Grandma made me put everything in my backpack," Erica explained and emphasized it by putting a hand on the lilac strap. Amanda had to force herself not to shudder at the mention of her mother, a woman she was never too fond of. "I don't like her, either," Erica said, noticing a look Amanda must have had on her face.

"Let me carry that to the car."

"No, I'm fine carrying it by myself, thank you," Erica insisted. Amanda smiled as she led the girl outside of the large airport and into the parking garage where her red car was parked. Erica sat herself in the passenger seat. She looked incredibly at ease for a girl who took a plane from North Yankton to Los Santos by herself. Amanda knew her mother had probably just dropped her off at the front and let the poor girl fend for herself.

Erica kept herself silent and busy by looking out the window. Amanda had tried to start conversation with her, but the girl either replied with a "yes", "no" or an "I don't know". After failed attempts at asking her about school and whether or not she was excited to come stay in Los Santos, Amanda finally gave up. She found that Erica was stubborn, but she had to remind herself that she was just a kid who was forced to spend the next few months with strangers. The drive back home seemed even longer than it should have, but they finally arrived in Rockford Hills. Erica's eyes went wide at the mansions and her jaw dropped when Amanda pulled the car into the driveway of one of the largest houses the girl had ever seen. "You live here?" she asked her aunt.

"Yes I do," Amanda stated proudly. She wondered what kind of home her sister lived in. Despite being a heroin addict, she hoped her sister had a nice sized home due to the fact her boyfriend made money the same way Michael used to. It was unfortunate that he got caught robbing a bank. Amanda was thankful Michael had given up that life before he was behind bars or dead.

"What a lovely home," Erica complimented. When the girl turned back towards the house, Amanda raised an eyebrow in confusion after she thanked her for the compliment. She wondered what nine year old would ever use the word _lovely_.

Amanda led her into the house. She noted that Tracey's car was in the driveway so she assumed she had just gotten home from college. She was proud of her daughter who had decided to turn her life around. She gave up booty calls and partying in order to set herself up for a career. "Let me show you your room," Amanda said. Erica nodded and followed her up the stairs.

"Thank you," the redhead replied. Amanda opened the door to the spacious guest bedroom. Erica walked over to the queen sized bed trying to hide how in awe she still was. Perhaps she never thought she'd set foot in a mansion. Amanda didn't blame her; she never thought she'd be living in one. She set her backpack on the bed and started to unpack the small amount of belongings she had. She neatly refolded the clothes, and Amanda wasn't sure why she refolded them.

"Did you need any help unpacking?"

"Thank you, but I think I can manage," she replied putting her shirts, skirts, and underwear neatly in the mahogany dresser drawer and hung up her dresses in a large closet. She didn't have too many clothes- four dresses, two shirts, and two skirts. She took out a small makeup bag which probably only contained her toiletries. The only item she seemed to have was a tablet which she carefully put on the nightstand. Overall, unpacking was rather quick.

"If you'd like, we can get you some clothes," Amanda suggested.

"No thank you," Erica replied in an adult-like manner which was again strange for a child her age. "I don't need any more clothes than this."

"Okay, Erica," Amanda said not wanting to push her niece. "But if you change your mind, we can go shopping."

"Thank you," Erica replied. "If you don't mind, I'm just going to take a shower."

"That's fine. There's a bathrobe in the closet for you and towels are in the bathroom down the hall. Dinner will be ready in an hour." Amanda left the bedroom to go start preparing dinner. She wasn't much of a cook, but she figured she'd be able to get something on the table. She didn't want to get takeout the first night Erica was staying, so she decided on making something simple. She had prepared the mashed potatoes the night before so all she had to do was heat it up. She had to cook the chicken and the broccoli. She hoped Erica wasn't a picky eater like Tracey had been at that age.

Jimmy entered the kitchen and took a seat at the island. He had brought his laptop over and he was typing furiously, most likely on Life Invader. She had greeted him when he entered, but he ignored her. She wondered why he'd come into a room not to acknowledge her. She wondered where she went wrong with him. For a while, she was wondering what was wrong with Tracey, too, but at least she turned her life around and was going to school.

She heard Michael get home. He came through the front door, announcing his presence. She heard Tracey's footsteps come down the stairs to greet him. Despite everything, she had always been a daddy's girl. They made their way into the kitchen where Amanda was preparing the chicken. "Hey Mandy," Michael said before kissing his wife. "Since when do you cook?"

"Since we have a guest and everyone is actually under the same roof at the same time," Amanda replied. "How was work?"

"It was great," he smiled genuinely. "So, where is Erica?"

"She wanted to shower. She should be coming down soon," Amanda responded.

"Erica better not make the bathroom all disgusting. I already have to deal with him," Tracey said, nodding towards her brother.

"Hey! I'm not the one who has like a million shampoos and soaps in there! Not my fault if I knock something over," Jimmy defended himself.

"Maybe if you'd put down the Cheetos-"

"That's enough!" Michael interrupted. "You two have been getting along okay for the past few weeks. Let's not ruin that, all right?" Jimmy and Tracey glared at each other, as if they'd strike one another if their parents weren't there monitoring them.

"Anyway," Amanda decided to change the subject. "How was school, Tracey?"

"It was okay, I guess. I found out I have to prepare to write a fucking essay for my English final. It's like who cares about _Hamlet_?" she complained. At that moment, Erica had entered the room. She didn't seem nervous, but it was probably because she had been introduced to multiple families and lived in their homes.

"Kids, this is your cousin, Erica," Amanda said introducing them. "Erica, these are your cousins Tracey and Jimmy." The redhead nodded before taking a seat next to Jimmy, seemingly undisturbed by the unwelcomed look Jimmy gave her. Amanda didn't want to point it out to upset the household, but she'd keep an eye on him. Erica sat upright so that her back wasn't touching the chair. "And this is your uncle, Michael," Amanda continued.

"Nice to meet you," Erica said to the three. Michael responded nicely while the kids seemed to force their response. When Amanda eventually served dinner at the dining room table, she noticed just how quiet everyone was. This time, Erica was sitting beside Tracey. The thin nine year old picked at her food, eating it slowly. She turned to Tracey which shocked Amanda.

"I overheard you talking about _Hamlet_ and how you had to write an essay," Erica said and swung her legs back and forth on the chair.

"Oh," Tracey put her fork down. "It's not really important."

"I was thinking maybe I can help? I've read the play a lot. I mean, it is extremely hard to understand, but I got it after the fifth try. Maybe it's because I'm not even ten yet," Erica shrugged.

"Thanks, but I like understand it." Tracey went back to her food.

"Well, Ophelia's a good character. I'd write about how Hamlet was the villain."

"How can he be a villain? He's the protagonist," Tracey rolled her eyes. Amanda was about to say something but stopped herself at the realization that her daughter actually read the play and didn't blow it off.

"True, but he's like the villain in Ophelia's story. He's more of a…secret villain. He's indirect about it but he hurts Ophelia a lot making her kill herself."

"I'll keep that in mind." It wasn't genuine by any means, and Amanda could sense that Erica could tell, so the redhead put her head down, looking at her hands in her lap. It was evident now that she was nervous, but she had been hiding it.

"Never thought a kid your age would be reading Shakespeare," Michael chuckled. "You're a smart kid."

"Not really. I'm horrible at math," Erica admitted. "I just really like words and books."

"Hey, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses," Michael replied. "So, Erica, how was your plane ride?"

"It was okay," she shrugged. "I just slept." They continued to eat, Amanda noticing that Tracey's dark look towards her cousin had subsided. Apparently, she was over it for the mean time. It was a miracle she was even home for dinner, and Amanda told herself not to get used to it. She wished she and Tracey were closer, like one of those tight knit mother/daughter duos who went shopping together or went out and got lunch. Amanda wondered if having a nine year old in the house now would make everyone happier with the childlike wonder around. However, she hadn't seen any proper nine year old behavior from this girl. Needless to say, it was awkward to see a kid this young sitting there with her back straight, elbows never hitting the table, and didn't have a single toy other than her tablet.

Jimmy kept his look on the girl, probably jealous of her for some unknown reason. He was being completely unreasonable, and she'd have to have Michael talk to him whom was oblivious to the unspoken meanness. "May I be excused?" Erica asked politely. She looked directly at her aunt, waiting for an answer. Amanda was surprised when the girl had no broccoli on her plate, but she only ate half her piece of chicken and barely touched her mashed potatoes.

"Of course," Amanda replied. Erica nodded her thanks and headed towards the stairs and to the guest room.

"What a weird kid," Jimmy spoke up.

"Stop it," Amanda said, giving him a warning look. Without saying a word, Tracey got up from the table and headed up the stairs.

"Jim, she's just a kid. You're an adult. Start acting like it. I didn't like those mean looks you were givin' her tonight," Michael started to raise his voice. Amanda sighed in relief that he actually wasn't oblivious. She just sat back and let her husband take care of her twenty year old son who acted like he was fourteen.

"It's not my fault she's fucking weird," Jimmy answered. "And she's gonna take all my presents!"

"You need to stop. She's nine for fuck's sake!" Michael pointed out. "And she's your cousin who hasn't had all the privileges you had."

"From what I remember, we lived in a trailer and we were poor before I was like ten!" Jimmy countered.

"At least you had me and your mother! Huh? You want to be like her being tossed from house to house? Show the kid some respect. She's harmless! We are going to make sure we are hospitable towards her. Right, Jimmy?" Amanda knew Michael was getting all riled up, but she didn't stop it. Jimmy had been making her angry since the announcement that Erica would be coming to stay with them. Irritably, Jimmy took three more bites of his second helping of mashed potatoes and got up, storming upstairs.

"What are we going to do with him?" Amanda sighed as she rested her chin on her hand.

"It's all right, Amanda. He'll come around eventually," Michael said and stood behind Amanda, massaging her shoulders and neck.

"You think so?"

"No, but we'll make him." He bent down and kissed her cheek.

* * *

If anyone is interested in this story, I'll definitely continue it. Also, I am accepting OC's. There are specific ones that I'd like to use such as a music teacher and a friend(s) for Erica when she goes to school. I will also accept random OCs and I'll try to incorporate all of them in somehow. There will be more drama and some action. If you guys have any ideas, I'll definitely try and put it into the story.

Also, if you aren't fond of Amanda (I pretty much like all the characters in GTA 5), the story won't always be in her perspective so no worries!

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Tracey made her way up the stairs. She didn't want to listen to everyone else at the table fighting. She began to question whether having Erica here would be a good thing or a bad thing. The kid seemed rather harmless. That, and she was incredibly pretty in that cute way kids were. Deep down, the blonde knew she liked kids; well, as long as she wasn't responsible for them for more than a few hours. She decided Erica was at a good age- she could still have that childlike wonder as well as pour herself a glass of soda if she wanted one. Although, she had to admit, there wasn't too much childlike wonder at the dinner table. Perhaps she was simply nervous and on her best behavior.

Tracey glanced at the bathroom. _No_, she told herself, _I will not puke. Daddy will love me, even if I'm fat_. Struggling with an eating disorder was difficult, especially when her parents didn't openly acknowledge it. Jimmy had brought it up once when he was mad at her, but Amanda told him to be quiet and not be so critical. Her mother had given her quite the sad look before turning around and leaving the room.

Despite her best efforts, she did venture off into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She took her toothbrush and did what she had to do. Even though she did this often, the stomach acid still burned her esophagus. She gripped the toilet bowl, the mantra in her head continued. _Nobody wants a fat daughter._ Tears sprang to Tracey's eyes as she tried not to focus on her undigested dinner coming back up. Her father was rather superficial when it came to women. When he cheated on Amanda with that slut, Tracey noted how skinny she was and how her thighs didn't touch when she walked. The thigh gap she wanted to achieve, she felt, wasn't possible. But maybe if she continued to make herself sick, she wouldn't get any fatter.

Tracey heard the door to the bathroom open, but remained on the floor clutching the porcelain bowl. She was suddenly tired and flushed the toilet. She saw that it was Erica who had interrupted her, and Tracey desperately wanted to yell and scold the girl, but she couldn't bring herself to do that-not when the pretty blue eyes looked at her with sadness and concern. Silently, she held her hand out to her cousin. Tracey took the small hand. She didn't want to grasp it too tightly as the girl seemed delicate to her. The redhead was rather small for her age and she thought that if she clutched the hand too tight, she'd snap it right off.

Erica led her to the sink and searched the cabinets until she found the mouthwash. She poured it in the little plastic top carefully and handed it to her. Tracey was shocked that Erica had the courage to come in and take control of the situation. Erica began to hum a tune, something Tracey faintly recognized. She never thought a nine year old would be trying to comfort her. If anyone else tried to do this, the blonde would have yelled at them and told them to stop, leading to her slamming the door to her room and answering booty calls (something she hadn't done since she, Jimmy, and her mother came back home after they had left for a while as Amanda tried to figure things out).

Tracey swished the mouthwash around for a good minute to get the putrid taste out of her mouth before spitting into the sink. Tracey came out of her trance and came to her senses. "Stop it, Erica," she scolded when the girl took her hand to lead her away from the bathroom. "I can take care of myself. And you shouldn't barge in on people like that when they're in the bathroom!"

"You didn't lock the door," Erica shrugged.

"I just forgot," Tracey narrowed her eyes at her, clenching her fists. She wanted to hit Erica who had a serious and adult-like look on her face. The frown on her face reminded her of her mother, and she began to wonder if her aunt looked anything like Amanda. Despite the obvious differences, there were similarities. If Erica had darker features she'd definitely look like a mini Amanda.

"Did you?" Erica raised one of her eyebrows up high; it looked borderline comical yet it had some kind of odd elegance to it that Tracey didn't laugh or more like she couldn't laugh at it.

But this made Tracey realize that she hadn't meant to lock the door and she really did want her parents to walk in on her and help her through it. For some reason, her parents ignored her obvious flaws and need for attention and focused on other things. Currently, the hot topic of conversation was college and how Tracey was turning her life around. This girl had only been in their home for a day and she was already doing what her family failed to do for the past six years.

There was something menacing about Erica and how she stared her down. She looked so innocent in that purple dress of hers but one look in her eyes, Tracey could tell that there was something more to this girl that the naked eye couldn't pick up. "Being skinny isn't going to make you feel good about yourself," Erica said in a quiet voice. "You'll continue to hate and hate until you're a pile of bones and starving yourself to the point of no return. And when you take in your last few breaths, you'll be hating yourself one last time for letting yourself die at age thirty two," she said darkly and Tracey felt a shiver go up her spine.

"You're fucking creepy," Tracey backed away from her, but narrowed her eyes.

"Am I? Or are you just afraid of the truth?"

"Stop," Tracey whined. "Just shut up!"

"I don't hate you," Erica pointed out. "I'd like to get along. I always wanted a big sister!" And just like that, the adult part of Erica shut off and the child came out. She smiled when she looked up at Tracey, holding out her hand. There was something extremely intoxicating about this girl. Before she could make a decision of her own and before her brain even processed it, her hand was in Erica's. The girl led her into the guest bedroom down the hall.

Erica sat her on the bed and grabbed her hairbrush. She knelt behind the blonde and began to brush her hair gently, and Tracey had to admit, it did feel nice. Maybe if she tried hard enough she could pretend it was her mother who cared about her enough to say those words to her, to tell her it didn't matter whether she was overweight or thin. "I'm sorry if I scared you before," Erica said, making Tracey's fantasy disappear. She opened her eyes and could see herself in the mirror and she wondered why she was even tolerating this girl. "Sometimes I talk kind of funny because I pretend I'm in a book and then I forget other people don't know what I'm thinking," she explained.

"Yeah, well, you better watch it," Tracey warned and she narrowed her eyes.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Erica said as she continued to brush her blonde locks.

"You barely even know me. What gives you the right to barge in a bathroom like that when the door's shut? You better watch your back around here," she threatened. Tracey took the brush from Erica's hand and threw it onto the ground.

"I know that you're my cousin. I know we're strangers but I don't want to be."

"Why don't you go bother your other cousin? I want nothing to do with you. You shouldn't even be here."

"Because I don't think Jimmy likes me much," Erica shrugged.

"What? And you think I like you?" Tracey rolled her eyes and went to leave the bedroom.

"Probably not. Not a lot of people like me anyway," Erica said as if it was nothing.

"You had no right to say that back there, about me and about what I do."

"Maybe I didn't. But I think I'm the first one to take you seriously." Tracey left the bedroom and slammed the door after Erica said that. Everything that stupidly intelligent nine year old said was very true. For the first time in years, Tracey shut her bedroom door and locked it as she let silent tears fall down her face. These were real tears and they hurt terribly. She hated how right that girl was and she most definitely hated how Erica was the first one to take her seriously in a long time.

She leaned over her vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. She scowled at her teary eyes and blotchy cheeks. She sat down and angrily applied her makeup. She was most definitely going out and she was going to have fun. "Fuck you, Erica," Tracey snarled before she changed her outfit and put on a small black dress and high silver heals. She was going to a club and she was going to party until three or four in the morning. She sneaked through her window expertly after grabbing her phone and purse. She fushed out her car keys and got into her small yellow car. She started it and sped off to the nearest club her friends would be in.

She began her night drinking quite a bit, but slowed down after a few hours. For some reason, partying wasn't fun anymore. She hadn't been out to the clubs since last summer before the semester started. Had it really been that long? Suddenly, making herself drunk wasn't fun nor was grinding up against a random stranger who wanted nothing but to sleep with her. Was her self-esteem that horrible? She cursed at herself when she realized she should be studying for finals. Had she become that boring? "Tracey, you're like super boring tonight! What's up with you?" one of her friends asked in an annoyed tone. The club music was suddenly becoming too loud, the bass vibrating everything around her.

"I don't know," Tracey said, when in reality, she did know because she couldn't get Erica's act of kindness out of her head, as well as those horrid words she spoke. But everything about them was true.

"It's because you went to college, isn't it? You've changed," another girl spoke up. "And you totally haven't changed for the better. I mean, look what you're wearing! A black dress? And it isn't even that short!" Tracey looked down and saw that the dress was short, but not short enough. She didn't know what to say as her five friends began to gang up on her.

"What a fucking nerd."

"She's totally out of her element. She hasn't been out since the summer."

"Totally abandoning us."

"Stop it! I didn't abandon you guys!" Tracey exclaimed. "I just wanted to go to college."

"Why? What happened to fuck responsibilities and party hard until the sun comes up? You've totally changed."

"I had, like, a long talk with my dad and I realized I had to do something, you know? I couldn't just keep partying for the rest of my life," Tracey tried to reason with them.

"Listen, Tracey," the girl who had initially started talking put a hand on Tracey's shoulder. "I get it."

"You do?" Tracey asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, totally. You're in love with your dad." The girls began to laugh hysterically at that. Tears came to her eyes as Tracey yelled at them to stop; it most definitely wasn't true! "Go home and fuck him, you whore! He likes your type anyway. Wasn't the stripper he fucked a blonde with big tits?"

"Fuck you!" Tracey yelled. She desperately wanted to slap her, however, five against one wasn't really in the blonde's odds. She decided to just walk away from it, turning her back towards those girls. Why had she been friends with them? They had nothing going for them other than becoming strippers themselves or getting into the porn industry. Tracey had tried the latter once, but realized how degrading it was once she actually watched herself.

"We just want the best for you!" the girl shouted. "I'll text you!" Tracey got into her car, ignoring the shouts from her so called friends, and drove off despite being somewhat drunk. She arrived home safely against all odds, and sneaked into the house considering it was almost two in the morning. She became nervous when she noticed the living room light on, afraid that Michael would be sitting in the chair and waiting for her to come home. She decided to just face the music and approached the living room where she took a deep breath to face her father.

Only, when she entered the room, it wasn't her father, but Erica, who was sitting on the floor with paper and crayons. She had one of the music channels on and was listening to swing music quietly as she drew her picture. "Hi, Tracey," Erica said without looking at her. "I was wondering when you'd get back."

"Have you been waiting for me?"

"No," Erica shook her head and looked up. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Why not?" Tracey asked and sat on the couch, kicking off her heels.

"I'm just not used to this place yet. I can never sleep when I'm put in a new house," Erica explained.

"What are you drawing?" Tracey asked and looked down at the picture. It wasn't very good, but Erica never proclaimed to be an artist. It was just a person standing in the middle of the page. Her hair was brown and for some reason, her eyes were red and demonic.

"My mommy," she replied.

"Do you miss her?" Tracey asked, ignoring the red eyes and that creepy smile on her face.

"Not really. Well, maybe. She's my mommy so I love her no matter what, but I don't like what she does," Erica shrugged.

"Is that why her eyes are red?"

"Yeah," Erica nodded. "She's mean and nasty, but she's still my mommy." The redhead joined Tracey on the couch, sitting beside her. Tracey went to move away from her but decided not to. She was still angry with the girl for barging in on her like that."I like you. You were my favorite person on _Fame or Shame_. There. I admitted it."

"You watched _Fame or Shame_?"

"Yeah. And then when I found out you're my cousin, I was so excited. That's really why I agreed to come stay here. It was come here, or go to another foster home," Erica explained. "That's why I didn't like that you made yourself throw up," she shrugged. "I really look up to you."

"Wow. I, like, totally don't know what to say," Tracey said. "Thank you." That had been completely unexpected, but she had to admit, she had people tell her she was pretty good and that she should have won, not those masturbating monkeys. Of course, she agreed with them. She just didn't expect this from her cousin she never met before.

"Wanna dance with me?" Erica asked. She stood and turned the music up a little louder, but not too loud as she didn't want to wake up the others in the house.

"To this?" Tracey wrinkled her nose in disgust. "What is this? Old people music?"

"It's swing music," Erica replied. "Come on, it'll be fun!" she said and took Tracey's hands and pulled on them. Tracey stood and decided she should make a fan happy, even if it was her creepy little cousin. "I can show you the Charleston. I taught it to myself last summer," Erica suggested. She began to dance to the music, her feet moving quickly and Tracey had to admit the girl had some natural talent. Her body didn't move stiffly and awkwardly like most girls her age.

"What kind of dance is that?"

"The Charleston," Erica replied. "They used to dance like that in the twenties. I'm obsessed with the early 1900s," the red head explained.

"Why would you want to dance like that?" Tracey asked her.

"I think it's kinda cool, and not everyone does it anymore. It's different. Try it! I'll teach you!"

"I don't think so."

"Please?" Erica looked up with her with big blue eyes just begging her to have some fun. Tracey rolled her eyes.

"Fine," the blonde sighed. She stood and copied Erica's movements as the girl taught her. She was surprised at how fast the movements were when she was actually doing them as well as realizing how much energy this dancing took compared to her usual moves. Tracey found herself enjoying this, having more fun than that miserable time at the clubs with her friends. She decided that her new friends from college were much more fun. They'd go to bars and drink casually, not to get drunk. She also found herself enjoying real study parties with this new group, too. It was no wonder she had such a terrible time with those other girls! Perhaps Tracey was growing up, and in doing so, she was leaving her childish friends behind.

"See? You've got it!" Erica yawned. It was four in the morning by now, and Tracey realized just how tired she was herself.

"Wow. I think we should get some beauty sleep."

"But I can't sleep," Erica said, turning the music down.

"Let's watch some TV on the couch then," Tracey decided. She couldn't just leave the poor thing alone in the living room. After all, Erica looked up to her, something she marveled. They sat on the couch and Tracey began flicking through the channels. What was even on at four in the morning? She settled on _Maryanne_, a sitcom about a working class family. When she and Jimmy got along some mornings, they could sit there for hours and just watch it. Generally, Tracey and Jimmy hated sitcoms but they could always watch marathons of this one for some reason. Erica seemed to be okay with it as she sat there with her eyes glued to the television.

Tracey stretched out on the couch with her head on a pillow. She yawned, wanting to sleep desperately. Erica stretched out on the other side of the couch, her head also on a pillow. Tracey wasn't sure when she fell asleep.

* * *

Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews and PMs! I really had no idea people would want to give me OCs for the first chapter! A few of you requested a form to fill out and I was planning on putting it at the end of this chapter which is why it isn't in chapter 1 since obviously chapter 2 didn't have any OCs in it. Not sure if chapter 3 will since it depends on how fast I write it and how fast OCs are given to me.

Anyway, here's the form!

**Name (first and last):**

**Age:**

**Physical description:**

**Personality:**

**Occupation (Optional):**

**Anything else that might be useful (for example, brief history of the character):**


	3. Chapter 3

Erica's eyes fluttered open and she immediately noticed her surroundings. She wasn't at home in her lumpy fold up bed, but she was on a very comfortable couch in a mansion in Rockford Hills. She felt lucky that she wasn't at home, but at the same time, she missed it despite the horrible home-life, and the fact that she barely called North Yankton home, anyway. She noticed that she was covered with a soft blanket that was pulled up to her chin. Erica sat up and saw that Tracey must have gotten up and left. She didn't think that she'd actually like her cousin, but when she caught her forcing herself to throw up in the bathroom, her heart went out to her. Truthfully, she wasn't a huge _Fame or Shame_ fan nor did she really think Tracey was all that talented, although her song during the final show was actually quite catchy. Instead, it reminded Erica of her mother when she'd harm herself. Her horrid mother had taken knives to her skin before and she felt it was her responsibility to help her. The fact that her aunt Amanda and uncle Michael hadn't followed their daughter made her feel responsible since she could tell that at dinner, Tracey suffered from some kind of eating disorder.

Would Erica go as far as to saying she liked Tracey? Maybe so far she did as she did have fun with her last night and she did appreciate her being there for her when she was scared and had been feeling very alone. It was then that Erica decided that Tracey was her favorite one in the house. She didn't know how she felt about Amanda yet and she didn't really know Michael. Those two seemed rather distant as parents. Sure, they were much more involved than her own by quite a bit, but they seemed to either be oblivious to Tracey's issues or they pretended they didn't exist. She assumed they just didn't know.

Erica carefully got off of the couch and noticed it was already eleven in the morning. She'd have to fix her sleep schedule by Monday since that's when she'd be starting school in Los Santos. She knew Amanda and Michael wanted to send her to private school, but her mother insisted on public school. She was grateful for this because she most certainly did not want to wear a school uniform. That, and the kids in private schools were one hundred percent worse than the kids in public schools, or so she thought.

Erica quickly went up the stairs to brush her teeth and get ready for the day. She hated sitting in her pajamas as it made her feel dirty. The redhead brushed her hair and braided it the best she could after slipping on a clean dress. She made sure to put her clothes in the provided hamper in her bedroom. _No,_ she scolded herself, _not my bedroom. The guest bedroom I'm staying in. Don't let this fantasy get into your head. You have no home_.

Erica went downstairs and discovered that she was incredibly hungry even though she had a feast for dinner. She decided to go ask permission to have some breakfast. She looked outside and saw that Amanda was doing yoga by the pool. "Excuse me?" Erica decided to make her presence known. She hated that she was disturbing her aunt, but she felt she had no choice.

"Good morning, Erica," Amanda said, still in that silly pose on the ground. "Did you need something?"

"Yes, I was wondering if I could have something to eat," Erica responded.

"Of course. What did you want?" Amanda stood up on the yoga mat.

"Oh, no, don't let me interrupt," the nine year old replied. "I just wanted permission to get something from the kitchen."

"You don't need permission to get food, sweetie," Amanda said and Erica didn't like that she was already using terms of endearment.

"Okay, thank you," she replied before going back into the house. She went into the refrigerator and found eggs. She knew how to make scrambled eggs, something she had recently learned how to do from reading about it on the internet in the library back in North Yankton. It was simple and she was embarrassed that she had to look up how to do it. Erica dragged a chair over to the stove since she was too short to properly use it. She was a bit on the short side, only standing a little under four feet. She got everything prepared and began cooking. Amanda hadn't come in to check on her, so she figured it was okay for her to use the stove.

Erica was proud of herself and made enough toast and eggs to share with her aunt. Even though she was uncertain about her, perhaps she would appreciate the kind gesture. After all, living in a mansion in Rockford Hills with her family was much better than being dumped in some older couple's house who just took in foster kids for the money. Erica set the plates on the dining room table with eggs and toast on them. She also put out the forks and napkins along with two glasses of milk. She put the ketchup on the table because she loved ketchup on her eggs, and she put the salt on the table since she read that people like to add salt to them, so she thought Amanda might.

"Amanda?" she said when she stepped outside. She was still uncomfortable saying Aunt or Auntie Amanda aloud, so she just settled for her first name.

"Yes?" Erica wondered how long someone could do yoga for, and she figured Amanda had nothing better to do with her time.

"I made us breakfast. Or I guess it's brunch now," Erica beamed, proud of her culinary skills.

"Really?" Amanda asked, confused.

"I made toast and scrambled eggs," Erica explained. She shyly took Amanda's hand to lead her into the dining room. The look of shock on her aunt's face was priceless, and the red head was completely proud of herself. She normally had to praise herself due to the fact nobody else would in order to keep her spirits high. If she didn't, then she was afraid she'd spiral into depression like the characters in her books. Erica most certainly did not want to lose the will to live.

"This is very nice, Erica, but I don't think you should be using the stove," Amanda said.

"Well why not?" Erica put her hands on her hips.

"It's dangerous. Next time you want to use it, how about you let me know?" Amanda tried to reason, but Erica felt insulted.

"I know how to use it," she narrowed her eyes at the brunette. "Nothing went wrong!"

"Yes, but something could and if you burned yourself or set the house on fire…" she trailed, not finishing her sentence.

"But I didn't and I won't. I'm not stupid. I'm actually more responsible than my _adult_ cousins," she pointed out before sitting at the table and putting the ketchup on her eggs. She began to eat them, putting some on the slices of toast and making a sandwich.

"Erica! You do not insult your cousins like that," Amanda scolded.

"Sorry I'm such a huge disappointment," Erica said, tears springing to her eyes. She was embarrassed by them, but she couldn't stop them. She hated to admit to herself that she was still a child even though she desperately wanted to be an adult. She looked at her aunt before standing up and walking over to the other plate. She looked Amanda directly in the eyes and swiped the plate off of the table followed by the glass of milk. Everything shattered on the floor, the food and the milk making a mess. Had she overreacted? Probably, but Erica was testing Amanda. Would Amanda yell at her? Hit her? Perhaps make her sleep outside? Many scenarios were possible and she had lived through most of them.

"Erica!" Amanda shouted angrily. Jimmy had heard this from his room and he came down the stairs to check it out.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"Nothing, Jimmy. Just leave the room." Erica could tell Amanda was incredibly angry. She wondered what would happen next. She thought it was like a book.

"Did Erica break those? What a fucking klutz!" Jimmy laughed. Erica looked down at her feet and began to wish she hadn't done it. She had a temper and when she got angry and upset, she just acted on pure instinct and would break things.

"Jimmy, now," Amanda said. The overweight twenty year old left the room laughing on his way out.

"Shut up!" she yelled at Jimmy. "Or I'll scream!" Erica warned. However, Jimmy didn't take the hint and he continued to laugh and called her names. Amanda had given up on trying to get him to stop. Erica clenched her fists at her sides and took a deep breath before letting out a shrill scream, a scream only a child could produce. It was incredibly horrible and she knew this. She screamed and screamed, her eyes closed, and ignored Amanda and Jimmy's shouts at her to stop.

Erica felt a hand wrap around her left wrist and it was tugging at her. She opened her eyes and stopped screaming, looking directly at her furious aunt. She remembered her mother got a look like that before she'd hurt her. Needless to say, she was terrified and tried to pull away. Her throat hurt from screaming and her face was red from a lack of oxygen. Tears fell down her cheeks as she cried. Erica let out one more shrill scream in Amanda's face, causing her aunt to release her. Erica took the opportunity to run out of the room. She ran upstairs into her bedroom and slammed the door. There was no lock.

Erica had a feeling someone was going to hit her. She understood her overreaction and she wished she could take it back. Bruises would form and she'd bleed. She crawled under the bed when she saw the doorknob turn. The girl tried to regulate her breathing, but it was to no avail. "Erica, come out from under the bed," Amanda said. Erica remained quiet. "This is ridiculous," she sighed. "Erica, get out right now!"

"No!" Erica cried.

"Why not?" Amanda demanded.

"I don't wanna get hurt! I'll hurt you before you hurt me. I'll bite you," she warned.

"Do you honestly think I'd hurt you?" Amanda asked. Her voice seemed to soften a bit and Erica was brave enough to open her eyes.

"What makes you different than everybody else?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Leave me alone," Erica sniffled.

"I just want to talk," Amanda said and sat on the floor. She had become calm and Erica was wary about trusting this calmness. "You did a great job with breakfast," she cooed. "I was just worried about you. The stove can be very dangerous. I would feel better if someone was with you when you used the stove."

"Nobody ever watched me before and I've been okay," she quivered.

"I understand. But things can go wrong," Amanda tried to explain. She continued to reason with her, but Erica failed to understand why she needed to be supervised. "Please try to understand, Erica. I'm only saying this because I care about you."

"Don't say what you don't mean," Erica spoke up.

"You've had it pretty hard so far, haven't you?" Amanda questioned. Erica found herself nodding. She had to agree that she had an unconventional childhood. She had scars on her stomach from one of the foster families she was forced to be with. She continuously received bruises from her mother and her mother's boyfriend. Furthermore, the only person she could rely on was herself. "You poor thing," Amanda eventually said.

No more words were spoken, but Amanda finally left the bedroom. She seemed to have given up her pursuit. Erica crawled out from under the bed. She hesitantly made her way down the stairs, being as brave as she possibly could. She saw Amanda sitting on the couch in the living room. Erica slowly made her way into the living room, her presence finally noticed. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I never trusted anyone before."

"Come here," Amanda said. Erica obeyed and sat beside her on the couch. "Nobody here is going to hurt you. I promise."

"That's what mommy says, but it isn't true."

"Does your mother hurt you?" Amanda asked.

"Everybody does," the girl said.

"You will not be hurt here," Amanda emphasized. They sat quietly for a while, Erica still questioning whether or not she should trust anyone. Amanda finally broke the silence by suggesting that when Michael got home, they'd take her to the pier where there was a rollercoaster, a Ferris wheel, and a bunch of little shops. Intrigued, Erica agreed since she had never been to a pier before. Also, nobody ever wanted to bring her somewhere solely for her enjoyment.

Amanda did stay true to her word, and she reminded Erica to get ready to leave. Michael seemed a bit tired after working all day, but he agreed to bring them. Tracey was still absent from the home, but Jimmy never seemed to leave his room. He was invited to go, but he just complained that he should break plates and scream to get a reward. Amanda tried to explain to him about Erica's situation, but he simply seemed not to understand. So, it was just the three of them heading down to the pier.

Erica had been in awe when she saw the roller coaster and the Ferris wheel. She had gotten excited and desperately wanted to ride the roller coaster. Michael rode with her so that she wouldn't have to go alone. Amanda had opted out, saying she'd rather just watch. However, the three of them rode the Ferris wheel. Erica enjoyed the greasy pier food and had more food than she could eat. They also looked at the little shops and stands along the boardwalk. Amanda bought her a bracelet made of string that had a pretty pattern of pinks and purples. She also suggested they get one for Tracey and they thought it was thoughtful of her, praising her for thinking of someone else. She picked out a pink and white one for Tracey and she forced herself to pick a dark blue one for Jimmy.

At the end of the night, Erica closed her eyes in the car since she had quite an eventful day. It was the first time she hadn't had to lose herself in a book to escape reality. Instead, she found she very much enjoyed reality and didn't want to leave it. "Remember when Tracey and Jimmy were her age?" Amanda asked Michael. "Those were fun years."

"Yeah they were. Except I remember a lot more 'daddy, Jimmy poked me!' and 'mom, Tracey said I was stupid'!" Michael recalled. Amanda must have given him a look; Erica pictured her eyes narrowing at him. Michael laughed and Erica opened her eyes just in time to see him put his hand on Amanda's leg, patting it affectionately. "Nah, they were fun."

"Maybe we should have had more kids," Amanda thought aloud.

"Two's enough," Michael said.

"Technically we have three now."

"What?! You're pregnant?" Michael exclaimed in a panicky voice.

"What? No!" Amanda said. "I meant that we have Erica now."

"Yeah, but it's temporary."

"Well, apparently my sister is no better than how my mother was," Amanda admitted.

"Oh geez."

"I'm afraid to bring her back there," she replied. "I know what it's like."

"We'll talk about that in March, all right? For now, don't worry about it. Erica's here with us and nothin' will happen to her here."

Erica had to stop herself from making a surprised gasp. She had only arrived the day before. Was Amanda really considering trying to keep her once March rolled around? The girl wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. She feigned waking up when she heard the car shut off. She groggily asked if they were back at the mansion, and Michael confirmed that they indeed were. She wasn't comfortable calling Rockford Hills home yet.

She was surprised when Michael went to scoop her up from the back seat, but she shrugged it off and said she was capable of walking. She began to wonder if Jimmy and Tracey were ever carried into the house from the car. She thanked her aunt and uncle before heading up the stairs and getting ready for bed. Once she was ready, she peaked into Tracey's room and saw that the blonde still wasn't there. Sighing, she left the pink bedroom and entered the guest room where she climbed into the queen sized bed and put her head on the pillow. She was exhausted and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed. Also, thanks to everyone who sent in OCs!


	4. Chapter 4

After the great time she had last night, Erica didn't think she'd have to spend Sunday with one of Michael's friends since he and Amanda were going out for a date. Apparently, their dates started at 3 in the afternoon and would last until eight. Tracey still didn't come back home and Erica found herself missing her even though she felt she barely knew her. She was in the car with Michael on her way to his friend, Franklin's, house. It was a shame, Amanda said, that Tracey couldn't babysit and Jimmy refused to watch the girl. At such short notice, there weren't many people available and Michael eventually decided to call Franklin. He did have plans, but he didn't mind if Erica tagged along. Amanda had agreed, only if said activities were legal. "Franklin's a good guy," Michael said as he drove her up the twisty hills to Franklin's house.

"I don't need a babysitter. I've always watched myself," Erica said, crossing her arms.

"You're still a kid. If something happens, you'll want someone older there," Michael explained.

"I know how to take care of myself," she pouted.

"Well, he'll be working on his car so he probably won't be bothering you."

"Why am I even here if you and Amanda are just going to dump me off to a stranger's house?" she questioned him without even glancing in his direction.

"Sometimes adults need time to themselves. Amanda and I are spending the rest of the afternoon together."

"Like a date?" Erica perked.

"Yeah, a date."

"Well, why didn't you say so?"

"I would have if it made you less angry all day," Michael laughed. Eventually, Michael pulled into a driveway with a large house. Erica began to wonder if everyone in Los Santos lived in luxury while she was forced to live in poverty. The red head stood at the door with Michael and an African American man in his mid-twenties answered the door. Introductions were made before Michael left Erica in Franklin's care. She sat on the couch, declining any offers for food or something to drink. She took out her tablet and began to read her book.

"You're a real simple kid," Franklin said to her. Frowning, Erica looked up at him and wondered why on Earth Amanda and Michael would let this guy keep an eye on her. She hated the term babysitter because that meant she was an infant. In reality, she felt she was an independent girl who didn't need anyone. If it was up to her, she'd be homeless and live on the streets by herself. Her three attempts at running away hadn't really worked out. Her first one was when she was five, but she barely made it to the edge of the street. The last two were in the past year and she always ended up getting caught.

"Not particularly," she grumbled before she turned back to her book.

"So, you're Michael's niece?" he asked, trying to start up conversation. "I see you like to read."

"It passes the time," she shrugged. Franklin's cell phone went off and he checked his text message. He then began to furiously type on the touch screen with his thumbs. Erica wondered what he was sending, but kept herself from questioning him.

"My friend Johnny's comin' over to hang. You mind?" Franklin asked.

"It's your house," Erica said, but made sure to smile in order to be polite. She wasn't sure whether or not she liked Franklin, but he seemed to be okay. Before Johnny arrived, Erica put down her tablet and began watching television. He had given her the remote and she had turned on an old black and white movie from the forties. She loved movies from this time period, and she was so happy a classic had just started. She wished she could look like these actresses with their beautifully styled hair, their pretty clothes and simple high heels.

She ignored the front door when Franklin got up to answer it. She was captivated by the movie, one of her absolute favorites. She had taken the DVD from the library multiple and watched it on one of the library's computers. She knew the librarian and she was one of the few people she liked back in North Yankton. However, even when she had confessed everything about her home life, the woman had failed her and never contacted child services or the authorities. "Hey, Franklin said you're Erica," a boy said who seemed to be rather tall compared to Erica. He easily had a good foot on her. Despite this, she knew he was still a kid due to the fact he still had a boy's voice. It was slightly deeper than a little boy, but definitely not developed at all. She turned towards him, his presence unexpected.

"Yeah. Who are you?" she asked him.

"Jason Mcnamara," he introduced himself. "My brother, Johnny's friends with Franklin."

"Where'd they go?" Erica questioned him.

"Outside to work on their cars. My bro's all about cars," he explained. He was rather skinny, Erica noted, and his hair was jet black which contrasted with his whiteness. His skin tone was darker than hers, though, showing that he lived his entire life in San Andreas. "So, I haven't seen you around before. What school you go to?"

"I'm going to start going to Los Santos Elementary on Monday. I'm staying with my aunt and uncle for a few months," Erica explained.

"Cool, what grade you in?"

"Fourth," she responded. "You?"

"Fifth. But we'll at least have recess and lunch together."

"Are you proposing that we're already friends?" she scrunched her nose.

"Are you proposing we can't be friends?" he joked.

"I never really had friends before. I keep to myself," she shrugged.

"Well then, Erica, I think you'll have to make an exception for me," he stated proudly.

"Are you generally this friendly?"

"Yes and no. Only to the people I like. What are you watching?" Jason asked to change the subject. Erica explained to him that she was watching a movie from 1940 and it was called _Rebecca_. She told him the general plot and what happened before he arrived. He decided to watch it with her and listened to her to give it a chance. Erica hoped she wasn't boring him but she desperately wanted to watch this. Eventually, the movie ended. "I wonder if Franklin has any games around here," Jason said. "Well, I know he does but I have no idea where they are."

"What game do you want to play?" Erica asked him.

"I don't even know," Jason said as he rummaged around in random drawers and cabinets. "But I found a deck of cards. You know any card games?"

"War and go fish," she answered.

"War it is!" Jason exclaimed. They sat on the floor and Jason began to shuffle and divvy up the cards. Erica wondered why he was being so nice to her and she wondered why she was so comfortable around him. Maybe it was because nobody knew her here and people didn't know her as the girl with the bruises and cuts. He didn't know she had to wear the same dress more than once sometimes because her mother forgot to do the wash or she forgot to buy detergent. Jason had no idea that she didn't have money for lunch, so she would always sit alone and away from the food so that her stomach didn't hurt more than it already did from the hunger. In Los Santos, she always had access to food. Michael and Amanda made sure she had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It had only been three days since her arrival, but it already seemed more promising than most places she lived. In Los Santos, maybe she could be a normal kid with friends.

The two began flipping cards, trying to gain the full deck to win the game. Jason ended up winning, but it was quite the battle. It had been four hours since Jason's arrival and the two began to wonder what Franklin and Johnny were doing out there for so long. Jason had opted to go see what was going on, and they had finished doing whatever it was they were doing to their cars, but were just talking about women. Jason had made a face when he mentioned it to Erica. "And what's wrong with women?" she questioned.

"Nothing, nothing. Just the way they talk about them is gross," Jason explained.

"What do you mean?" Erica asked.

"You don't wanna know. I don't even wanna know," he laughed.

"Okay. I think I'm going to read now," she said. She went over to the couch and took out her tablet to read.

"Then what am I gonna do?" he asked her.

"Whatever it is you do," Erica said. She was a bit antisocial at times. She considered herself an introvert when it came to socializing.

"Come on," Jason persisted. "Have any games on that thing?"

"A few. Why do you ask?"

"Let's play them!"

"No, I'd rather read," Erica replied. However, she did enjoy his company. "Fine. I'll let you play. I'm not good at them." She opened up one of her games which was literally impossible. However, Jason seemed to really enjoy it despite dying multiple times. In order for her to watch, she had to sit close to him. Being close to people always made her uncomfortable, but it was strange how she was becoming comfortable around a select few, Jason being one of them and the other being her cousin Tracey. Erica wanted to like Amanda, she truly did, but the resemblances to her mother were somewhat scary. She had to remind herself that Amanda didn't have the scars on her face from picking at her skin, nor did she ever go to hit her.

Speaking of scars, Erica hadn't noticed that Jason stopped playing the game after multiple failed attempts and was tracing one of her own scars that was on her forearm. It was faint, but noticeable if the light hit it right. "Where'd you get that?" Jason asked her.

"I fell when I was little," she shrugged.

"I don't believe you," he persisted. Erica felt the tears coming to her eyes when she remembered where she got that scar and exactly how she got it. She felt that Jason had backed her into a corner since she found she couldn't simply lie to him. He could see right through her lie and she knew she could be bad at it sometimes, especially when it came to her scars. Her inability to lie about them had led her into three different foster care families that she wished she never met.

"My mommy's not nice," Erica decided to say. Despite her tendency to act older than her age, she was still nine and had that childlike affinity to say too much.

"Oh man, I'm sorry, Erica," Jason said. "You don't have to talk about it."

"Thanks," she gave him a small smile.

"You have an email? My bro won't let me get a LifeInvader yet," Jason changed the subject. "This way we can talk and stuff."

"No, but I guess I can make one now," Erica shrugged. Using her tablet, Jason typed in Franklin's wifi password and began to make Erica her very own email. She had never thought to make one before, but it would be cool to type to Jason late at night underneath the covers when Amanda and Michael thought she was sleeping. She truly liked Jason and she hoped that she wasn't too obsessed with the idea of having a friend (if he could be considered a friend) because she really hadn't had any before. She was surprised that he wasn't judging her and shunning her because of the scar her mother had given her. It had been late at night and her mother was high on something. She tried to inject the drug into Erica, but failed when the red head yanked her arm away, creating a large gash in her arm. When the school nurse saw it a few days later when her arm became infected, she had been put through many tests after she told them it was a drug needle. Obviously, this led her to being put into the care of a foster family.

Eventually, Franklin and Johnny made their way into the house, plopping down on the couch with the two kids. They each had a beer and were talking about cars or something. Erica just hoped they wouldn't talk about women like the way Jason said she wouldn't want to hear. "Erica, Mike's gonna be here to pick you up in an hour and I didn't really get to know you," Franklin said. "Talk about yourself."

"Umm…there's nothing really to tell," Erica replied nervously. "I like to read. I love the 1920s and old movies. That's about it, I guess."

"Shit, does Michael know you like old movies?" Franklin asked.

"No," she shook her head.

"Oh man, you should tell him. He loves those boring old movies."

"Hey, they aren't that boring," Jason spoke up. "I watched one with Erica today and it really wasn't that bad."

"Really? I didn't think Michael would like them," Erica said. She was glad to finally have something in common with a family member. It made her feel more at ease to know she wasn't so different from everyone else, including her family. She smiled and wondered if Michael had a ton of great movies they could watch together.

Someone knocked on the door and Franklin went to answer it. To Erica's dismay, it was Jimmy. She was hoping Michael would have come to get her like he promised earlier mostly due to the fact it wouldn't be a surprise since she'd rather expect things rather than them being thrown in her face. Also, she wanted to spark up a conversation with Michael with her newfound information. When Franklin told her Jimmy was here to pick her up, she was upset. She would have cried if Jason wasn't there but for some reason she felt she couldn't make herself look like a wimp in front of him. Jimmy came in for a moment, talking to Franklin and Johnny who joined him. Thinking quickly, Erica grabbed Jason's hand and dragged him down the stairs, skillfully sneaking by the adults. "What are you doing?" Jason asked her.

"I don't like him," Erica stated.

"Who, Franklin?"

"No, Jimmy."

"How come?" Jason asked.

"He's not very nice and I don't trust him," Erica replied.

"I'm sure he's fine. Franklin seems to know him," Jason tried to assure her. "Has he hurt you before?"

"No, but you never know."

"Hey, you'll be fine," Jason said when the adults began to shout for them.

"And if I'm not?"

"I'll be your slave for a week at recess. I'll do whatever you want."

"You seem confident."

"That's because I am. Come on," Jason said, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. "Let's go."

Erica promised to email Jason when she got back to the mansion. She felt so happy that she made a friend and wondered if he'd keep his promise and see her at lunch and recess. What if he was lying? What if his friends didn't like her? She decided not to think about it and deal with the doom she had to face with a half hour ride home with her cousin. She climbed into the back seat of the red car Jimmy drove (she noticed it was Amanda's) and strapped herself in. Jimmy didn't say a word to her when he started the engine and began to drive off.

It was a silent drive for about ten minutes. Erica kept to herself as she read her book on her tablet. "Why do you read so much?" Jimmy finally asked her. She refused to look up and continue staring down at the glowing screen. She wondered if he truly disliked or if he was annoyed at her presence.

"Why do you play video games so much?" she countered.

"Touché," he replied.

"I do it because it's an escape from reality," she decided to answer. What harm could it do?

"Interesting," Jimmy said in his annoying voice. "What else do you do?"

"Nothing really. There wasn't much for me to do in North Yankton. I'd walk to the library sometimes and use the internet and watch movies, but that's about it," she shrugged. Erica was surprised Jimmy wasn't laughing at her answers like her mother did. Usually, her mother would say how much trouble she was and that reading would only get her into trouble someday. Reading was for people with no lives who didn't know how to have fun, her mother would say, and it made people crazy and that's where people got ideas to grab a gun and rob a store, a bank, or murder people. Her mother believed books shouldn't be glorified, but maybe that was because she was probably dyslexic. Erica had her suspicions, but it could have just been the drugs.

"Yeah, that place was pretty boring," Jimmy agreed. She recalled that the De Santa's had lived there once and moved by the time she was born. She wondered what it would have been like to grow up with them a few trailers down the road.

"At least you had Tracey. It's just me and it gets lonely."

"I guess. Tracey was kinda bossy back then."

"I'd imagine older sisters are," Erica smiled, finally looking away from Shakespeare. "But I like Tracey though. Is she home?"

"No, she's been out for a few days. She rarely comes home," Jimmy explained. Erica frowned since she missed the blonde dearly. She hoped Tracey would come home soon so they could talk about things. She'd tell Tracey about Jason and how he was her friend now and how they were going to email each other. She wanted to tell her how one of her favorite movies was on television when Franklin was babysitting her. She wanted to laugh with Tracey how she could have stayed home alone since Franklin was outside with his friend the entire time. But she would say how glad she was because she met Jason.

"How come you came to pick me up when Michael and Amanda didn't even want me staying home with you?" Erica asked.

"I guess they just trusted me to pick you up," Jimmy shrugged. Erica wondered if Michael and Amanda got high like her mother, but she shook that thought out of her head. They didn't look like they were drug people. If they were, they wouldn't have been this attentive to her. "Look, they wanted to surprise you when you got home. They bought you a bunch of clothes. I can tell you wouldn't like surprises. Just pretend you're like totally shocked when you open your closet, okay?"

"I can do that," Erica replied. "How did you know I didn't like surprises?"

"Because I don't like them, either."

* * *

First of all, I'd like to thank SuperVegetaSSJ2 for Jason and Johnny!

Next, I'd like to thank everyone who reads, reviews and/or favorites. I honestly had no idea people would take a liking to this story in the numbers I've seen. Since this story is more popular than I thought, I will not be able to use every OC that is submitted. If you submit one, I will let you know in a PM whether or not I will be using him/her.

An OC that I will be on the look out for will be the music/drama teacher. If nobody submits one, I'll just come up with one on my own when the time comes. Thanks again!


	5. Chapter 5

Amanda never thought that Erica would actually be this much trouble. At first, she believed her sister's warnings but she hadn't had any trouble with her over the weekend. Well, there was the event where Erica used the stove and broke the plate, but she didn't think much of it considering the circumstances. However, she was beginning to think she shouldn't have felt sorry for her and took her to the pier because all she did this week at school was cause trouble.

On Erica's first day, she got caught reading a book on her tablet when it was math time. Instead of listening to the teacher, Erica continued to read and ignore her. Her tablet had ultimately been taken away for the remainder of the day. When this happened, Erica warned that she would scream if she didn't give it back. The teacher hadn't believed her having hearing this before. Unfortunately for her, Erica did indeed scream as loud as she could until her tablet was back in her hands. She was sent to the principal's office after that ordeal. The principal had given her a note to take home to her temporary guardians. Erica hadn't even tried to hide the note; she handed the note to Michael when he picked her up from school that day.

Tuesday had resulted in a phone call home from the teacher. Erica had decided that the book the teacher read to them after class wasn't considered a good book. It was a simple story meant for fourth graders, but Erica thought it was too childish and yelled at the teacher for proving that the education system was spiraling downhill because of people like her.

Wednesday, Erica decided that they weren't telling the truth about the Trail of Tears and began to explain what really happened. This resulted in a few children crying hysterically because she didn't give the sugarcoated version.

Thursday hadn't been a walk in the park, either. Apparently, Erica screamed because the teacher had grabbed her wrist to make her stop writing because she was doodling instead of doing her math worksheet.

And finally on Friday, Erica decided she didn't want to participate in gym because she felt kickball was horrible and she hated that she had to wear pants on gym days. Amanda learned that the girl loved to wear her dresses and skirts, but she absolutely hated pants. She was most likely going through a phase with the clothes, but the rest of her behavior was unacceptable.

So, Amanda was sitting next to Michael in the principal's office to discuss Erica's horrible behavior. Erica's teacher couldn't be there because she had to go out of town for the weekend. It didn't really matter due to the fact the red head saw the principal every single day. "Her behavior is out of line. I understand she is your niece and she just came to stay with you, but something needs to be done about her behavior," he explained.

"She's a hard kid," Michael replied. "We tried punishing her but she seems not to care about anything."

"She's used to having nothing," Amanda pointed out. "So, if we take something away from her, she's okay with it."

"I see she seems to love that tablet. Have you tried taking that away from her?" the principal asked.

"We have," Michael said. "But it's the only thing she has. We let her scream in her room for about two hours, but after that, she seemed to be okay without it."

"I understand there is a history of abuse. It's in her file. I see that she was put into three foster care homes," he said as he read the papers.

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "The only thing that seems to bother her is if someone grabs her wrist like her teacher did the other day."

"I see. She's a tough case. Maybe she should see a therapist. I can give you recommendations."

"Not sure how I feel about psychiatrists. I had one once and all he did was overcharge me for nothing," Michael replied.

"I don't want her on any medication, either," Amanda spoke up.

"I can recommend child psychologists instead," the principal replied. "Although, I'd consider some ADD or ADHD medications."

"No way," Michael said. "She can sit and read Shakespeare for hours. She has no problems focusing." He glared at the principal. Amanda didn't blame him after the whole ordeal with that therapist Michael had.

"Maybe an after school activity?" the principal tried.

"Like what?" Amanda asked him. She listened to him list sports like basketball, soccer, and field hockey. However, Amanda knew just how much the girl hated gym so she told him that sports weren't an option. When he mentioned sending her to an acting class a few times a week after school, Amanda really began to listen. He perked when she became interested in his suggestion. He explained how acting will let her express herself as well as get out any pent up energy in a healthy way. Also, acting required a lot of discipline and it should help with her behavioral issues.

"Actually, the music teacher here works at an acting studio. I think she's still here. I can bring you over to her if you'd like. She has much more information than I do," he urged.

"I think that's a good idea. Michael?" Amanda turned to her husband.

"Sure, why not? Couldn't hurt," he replied. The two followed the principal through the halls to the music room. He introduced them to the music teacher and she happily offered the couple a seat at her desk. Amanda noticed there was a piano at the front of the room, most likely to entertain the kids during music class.

"I'm sure you are aware of Erica Meyers. You must have had her in your class this week," the principal replied. The short brunette smiled, her green eyes shining. Amanda noted she must have just been hired considering she looked about Tracey's age.

"Yes, Erica can be quite the handful," Melanie Spatz replied. She had a light German accent when she spoke.

"Has she been giving you trouble, too?" Amanda questioned. She noticed that the principal had walked out of the room without saying a word.

"I'm afraid so," Melanie frowned, which seemed to be unlike her. "She didn't cooperate in class. She kept going back to that corner over there," the woman said, pointing over to the far corner of the room. "And then she proceeded to scream when I asked her to join the rest of the class."

"Oh, geez," Michael said.

"Sorry to ask, but did you two recently adopted?" Melanie questioned. "Sometimes kids who are adopted at a later age don't take it too well."

"No," Michael spoke up. "She's our niece on Amanda's side," he made sure to include that. "Erica's mother wouldn't be considered mother of the year. She's been in foster care a couple of times."

"My sister asked us to take her this time," Amanda interjected.

"Do you have any children of your own?"

"Two," Michael said. "A son and daughter but they're twenty and twenty two. Those two didn't give us problems until they were in high school though. The elementary school days were a breeze," he explained. Melanie nodded in understanding. "The principal said acting would be good for her, so he said you would be the person to talk to."

"Oh!" Melanie exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I work part time at the acting studio around the block a few days a week. I think acting is a splendid idea! It'll definitely give her some discipline."

"We're hoping it'll help," Amanda said.

"I would sign her up starting in January. Wait until after the holidays," Melanie suggested.

"Can you tell us about the place?"

"Of course. It's owned by Margarita Malakhovskii. She can be tough, but she's great. If Erica's good enough, she might be lucky enough to get private lessons from her," Melanie explained. "She's great with the kids when she works with them."

"I think we should sign her up," Amanda said, looking at Michael. "I'm convinced this will be great for her."

"You think Erica will go for it?" Michael asked.

"Probably not, but I think this will give her something to work for, you know what I mean? And she's taken quite a liking to Tracey. Maybe we can use that to our advantage," Amanda shrugged.

"I like how you think," Michael smirked. "Thanks for your help, Melanie. You'll be hearing from us very soon," he stood, Amanda following his lead. Melanie stood up herself, smiled, and shook both of their hands. She wished them well and said she looked forward to Erica joining the studio.

Meanwhile, Erica sat on Jimmy's bed beside him and watched him play videogames. She had changed her opinion about him after their little car ride home from Franklin's days ago. She actually enjoyed watching him play and laughed when he shouted inappropriate things into his headset. The blood and gore didn't startle her in the slightest. Erica wasn't disturbed by any graphic image because she knew they weren't real. It was just a bunch of graphics and fancy computer technology that made the images happen. "Shoot him!" she bounced on the bed excitedly. "Shoot him!"

"How the fuck can I shoot him?" Jimmy yelled. She knew his anger was directed towards the game as he swore at the characters online. When Jimmy ultimately died, he swore at the game, yet again. He turned the game off in frustration, deciding not to play anymore. He got up from his bed and stretched his sore muscles that were accustomed to sitting. He had gotten better, though, and would occasionally go for bike rides.

"I'm hungry but Amanda won't let me use the stove by myself," Erica pouted.

"Mom's probably getting take out anyway," Jimmy replied. "They should be home soon."

"Okay, I guess I can wait," Erica sighed. Just as she said that, the door opened and Erica rushed to the top of the stairs. She could smell the Chinese food and she rushed down the stairs. She rushed into the kitchen, excited for dinner. She helped Amanda set the table as she was rather eager to eat. Michael commented on how helpful she was and she beamed, unaccustomed to being praised for simple tasks. Jimmy took a seat at the table and sat directly across from Erica.

There was so much food to choose from and Erica couldn't make a decision. There were noodles, and pork fried rice, and sweet and sour chicken. The endless amount of food amazed her and it was rather difficult for her to decide on anything. She was still getting used to having as much food as she could eat. "I don't know what I want!" she exclaimed.

"Here, I'll make a plate for you," Amanda replied. The red head was not used to people serving her. She realized that she was being treated like the child she ought to be. Slowly but surely, she was learning that she was still a child and didn't have to have the worries she once carried. It was a strange adjustment but it was rather welcomed.

"Thank you!" Erica said and began to eat the food on her plate hungrily and quickly, as if the food was suddenly disappear.

"Erica, we had that meeting with the principal today," Michael started. "You haven't been good at school." It was a blunt statement, but she appreciated the fact he wasn't beating around the bush.

"I know, but I can't help it sometimes," she shrugged.

"We understand you've had a difficult childhood, but that does not excuse your behavior while you've been staying here. We understand you've never had the right kind of discipline before, so we decided that after the holidays, we're signing you up for acting classes," Amanda explained.

"Acting?" Erica tilted her head to the side. "But I don't want to be an actress."

"Sweetie, it'll be good for you," Amanda replied. Erica flinched at the nickname. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"I want to be a writer," Erica said.

"You can still be a writer, but we think acting might be a good idea. It'll give you something to do." Erica knew Amanda was simplifying it. She had a feeling the real reason was probably so that she wasn't at home as often. Maybe she should have stayed silent and kept to herself so that they wouldn't think she was in the house. She was aware of her behavior and the fact that she was out of line a majority of the time. Erica wished she could control it, but when she panicked, she really panicked.

"You'd be great at it," Jimmy put in his two cents.

"No, I wouldn't," she argued. Tracey announced that she was home. Erica hadn't seen her since Monday and she wondered where the blonde went. But she was happy to see Tracey sit down at the dinner table with everyone and made herself a small plate of food. "Tracey, they're going to send me to acting classes," she pouted. Amanda and Michael looked at Tracey expectantly, silently pleading with her to come up with the right answer. Before she took a bite of food, she turned towards Erica.

"You should totally do it!" she said excitedly. She looked over to her parents for confirmation. The two smiled at her for saying the right thing and having the right attitude.

"I don't know…" Erica trailed.

"At least try it," she perked. "The worst thing that can happen is you don't like it. But what if you never tried it and you found out you really liked it? I mean, you're like the only nine year old who reads Shakespeare."

"Okay, I'll try it."

"We're glad to hear it," Amanda smiled. After dinner, Michael decided that the family should spend some quality time together as it was rare that the entire household was under one roof since Tracey was usually gone. Jimmy and Tracey protested, but ultimately their father won the argument. There was something about Michael that was different than most men and Erica wondered if she should be afraid of him. She knew that he robbed banks because her mother always complained that her boyfriend wasn't nearly as skilled as Michael had been.

It was eventually time for Erica to go to bed. She said goodnight and went upstairs. She had fought with Amanda and Michael about the fact that she had a bedtime while Tracey and Jimmy could do whatever they wanted. She had lost that battle and had to go to bed by nine on school nights and nine thirty on weekends. She got ready for bed and put on her nightgown Amanda and Michael bought for her. It was light pink with white flowers and it was easily her favorite one. She turned off the lights and grabbed her tablet. She logged onto her new email which also had a video calling feature. She made sure to turn down the volume so that she could just hear it before calling Jason. She sat underneath her covers and she felt rather secretive and sneaky while she did this. She and Jason had done this every night since Monday when he showed her this feature during recess. "Hey, Erica," Jason said. He also was underneath his blankets, the glow of his own tablet lighting up the room. "How'd that meeting go?" he asked, referring to Erica's aunt and uncle meeting with the principal of Los Santos Elementary.

"I guess it went okay. They didn't talk about it," Erica replied. "But for some reason they want me to do some kind of acting. I don't get why they want me to do it."

"Well that was unexpected," Jason said. "Do you want to do it?"

"Not really. But Tracey said it's a good idea, so I'll at least try it," she explained.

"So, how is it over there? You holding up okay?" Jason knew about her family situation. Erica had confessed it to him over lunch in the school cafeteria when he asked why she got into so much trouble at school. She had no reason to lie to him. For some reason, she felt she could trust the eleven year old since he was her first friend. He was rather trustworthy and she felt as if she knew him her entire life. He was so easy to talk to, and she liked the fact that he would tell it like it was instead of pretending. Loyalty and honesty were the two most important characteristics a person could have.

"It's actually really good. I've never been treated like this before. It's nice," she smiled.

"Glad to hear it," Jason smiled back. "Any plans for tomorrow?"

"I think Tracey's watching me. She said she has to go to Sandy Shores, so I get to be stuck in the car for like two hours," Erica rolled her eyes. "But I can't tell Amanda and Michael that. She said it's a secret."

"Why does she have to go out to the desert? There's literally nothing there except drugs, or at least that's what I heard my bro tell Franklin."

"I don't know," Erica shrugged. "I'll tell you tomorrow when we get back here. You doing anything?"

"Going over to Franklin's with my bro. Nothing exciting, either."

"I guess tomorrow we'll have eventful days," she laughed. Erica jumped when she felt the blankets were lifted off of her head. She looked up, startled, and saw Tracey looking down at her. She smoothed out her hair with one hand and held onto her tablet with another. "Jason, I gotta go."

"Yeah I see that. Good luck!" he replied and disconnected.

"I thought I heard you talking in here," Tracey smirked. "You're supposed to be in bed."

"Well, I am in bed," Erica said. "See?"

"You're supposed to be sleeping. It's already past ten," Tracey pointed out. "We're leaving here at nine to go to Sandy Shores tomorrow. You need to go to sleep."

"But I'm not tired," Erica pouted. "Can you read me a bedtime story?"

"Where'd you get that idea from?" Tracey questioned.

"Jason said when his mom was alive she'd tell him bedtime stories."

"Well, what kind of story do you want?" Tracey asked, unsure. Erica urged her to make something up, so she did. She made up a story about a princess who lived in a big castle. She had everything she wanted, but she didn't have a voice. Tracey explained that the princess went searching for her voice all over the castle, but it was missing. Then, the princess began to wander outside of the castle and she still couldn't find her voice. But one day, she came across a strange old lady who said that she'd give her a voice, but she'd have to give up something else; she had to give up her vision. In the end, the princess had regretted her decision and lived the rest of her life as a blind princess. Tracey hadn't known where that story came from, but it satisfied Erica and the young girl fell asleep almost instantly. She pulled the blankets over her and put her tablet on the nightstand. She quietly left the bedroom and she wondered why she actually seemed to like children.

* * *

Thanks to Nixie the Bloody Pixie for submitting Melanie Spatz and Ghost 132 for submitting Margarita Malakhovskii!

A big thanks to everyone who submitted OCs for this story! Since I have quite a handful, I will no longer be accepting OCs. I honestly had no idea I'd get so many PMs! Thanks to everyone for supporting this story. I had no idea it would be this popular.


	6. Chapter 6

Tracey and Erica were on their way to Sandy Shores. Erica was most definitely not looking forward to visiting a drug infested desert, but she figured she couldn't really escape from that life even if she was living in a mansion. She wondered why she couldn't have stayed home with Amanda since she found out her aunt didn't work. She refused to ask about this though because she did like spending time with Tracey who made herself scarce and was barely home during the week. Now that her finals were over, Erica hoped that she'd be home more often.

Tracey had on Non-Stop Pop and Erica thought the music was just awful. She tried to lose herself in some Shakespeare, but it was inevitable. The instruments weren't even real instruments playing in the background and the singers relied on auto tune so much it was ridiculous! Erica began to wish she had begged Amanda to stay. Perhaps if she told her the truth about their destination instead of going along with Tracey's lie, then she might have been spared from this awful music. She calculated how long they were in the car which was about fifteen minutes. The trip, she was told, took a couple of hours. Erica decided she couldn't last that long. "Can you turn down the music? I can't think!" she yelled over the loud, blaring stereos. Tracey turned the music down and it became somewhat bearable.

"Is that better?" Tracey asked, obviously annoyed that she couldn't blast her favorite music genre.

"Much," Erica replied. "Thank you."

"Well, what kind of music do you like?" Tracey asked her. Obviously, she felt insulted at the disgusted faces Erica had made when her music was playing.

"I guess classical," Erica shrugged. "Or instrumental. Swing music is pretty good, too," she replied.

"You're the only nine year old who listens to that old crap," Tracey pointed out. "Why not listen to some new stuff?"

"It's generally not very good. But there are some unknown artists who post videos of their stuff online that are very good," Erica explained.

"You're so weird!"

"Says the person who wants to go to a drug infested desert two hours away," Erica replied nonchalantly.

"I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?" Tracey sighed. "Well, dad had this friend from North Yankton. His name's Trevor and he was basically like an uncle to me and Jimmy when we were younger. We hadn't seen him for like nine years after we moved away but then we saw him again over the summer and he lives in Sandy Shores now," she explained.

"How come you have to lie to Amanda and Michael?" Erica asked.

"Because Trevor's a bit…psychotic and mom doesn't like him. Dad is friends with him, but I don't think he'd like me driving up to Sandy Shores every weekend."

"If these trips are so secret, why did you tell me? How come you're letting me come?"

"First, Trevor wants to meet you after I told him about you. Second, I guess I kinda trust you, even if you are a kid. You just can't mention it to my parents. Or Jimmy. Jimmy always tells my parents where I am when he's asked."

"Thanks for trusting me," Erica beamed. She felt rather important now that Tracey trusted her enough to let her in on secrets. She wondered if it was because she had found her that night in the bathroom.

"No problem. I totally like having you around," she replied. Erica never had felt so important in her entire life. She didn't want to ruin the moment, so she decided not to ask why Trevor was psychotic. Maybe he was just misunderstood. But, she reasoned, Amanda seemed to be an okay judge of character. Erica reminded herself where she came from and suddenly the nervousness went away. After all, nobody could be as mean and horrible as her mother's boyfriend.

The trailer park Tracey turned into was actually not as bad as the one Erica lived in. Sure, there were a few drunken people hanging around and she could tell a few were on drugs, but they didn't go up to Tracey's car and ask for things Erica still didn't understand. She wasn't shocked at the state of the trailer they pulled up to. The blonde took her keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. Erica grabbed her tablet and hopped out the other side. "He's not home," Tracey stated, but she led the way inside of the trailer anyway. The door wasn't even shut all the way and the screen was obviously broken. When the two entered the trailer, though, Tracey shut the working door and locked it.

"What do we do now?" she asked. The trailer was a bit dirty, but Erica sat on the couch anyway.

"I come here every weekend to clean up. You should have seen the place!" Tracey exclaimed. Erica burst out laughing at the idea of Tracey scrubbing a grimy old toilet. She didn't even think she was capable of cleaning her own room since the De Santa's had a maid who did that. "What's so funny?" Her hands were on her hips, her weight mostly on her left foot.

"Well, you just don't seem like the type of person who cleans," Erica replied.

"I'm not," Tracey frowned. "But when I came up here for the first time, the place was a total disaster. It was so gross that I was afraid I'd get some kind of disease. Like, I know there's definitely something mentally wrong with Uncle Trevor. Don't tell him I said that. But there definitely is and I didn't want him to live in a gross place, so I decided to suck it up and clean it one day," she explained. "So now it's like a weekly tradition."

"That's actually very nice of you," Erica smiled, happy that her cousin wasn't as selfish as she was thought to be.

"It also counted as community service for my sociology class," she added. "But I think I'll stick with this."

"How come?" Erica questioned.

"It actually makes me feel kinda good about myself." Erica nodded, realizing that Tracey did this to gain some sort of self-worth. Despite being able to perform in front of people and on television, her cousin had rather low self-esteem. Erica wondered if this helped with her eating disorder at all, making Tracey stop it for at least a day or two. "And I care about him. I couldn't let him live like that."

"Can I help?" Erica asked. Tracey smiled and said she could do the dishes and wipe down the kitchen. Erica dragged a chair over and began scrubbing the dishes with a sponge and soap. After the dishes, she cleaned the counter tops and wrinkled her nose in disgust when the layer of dirt and grime came off onto the paper towel. After that, she moved onto dusting the bedroom and cleaning the bathroom counters. She collected the dirty laundry and put it in the hamper. Erica noticed that it only took them a little over three hours to clean the dump. Tracey mentioned that it took her all weekend to clean it the first time she decided to do it.

"Hey, Tracey!" a gruff voice shouted as he opened the door. "And who is this little lady?" he asked as he sat beside the blonde on the couch. Erica found herself scooching away from this man. His face had scars on it, indicating he had been in many fights. His clothes were filthy and she wondered why on Earth Tracey would help someone like him out. He smelled as if he hadn't showered in days.

"This is Erica, my cousin I was telling you about," Tracey said.

"Oh, hey there, Erica. You can just call me Uncle T." Erica wasn't sure what to think of this man. She kept her mouth shut. It was obvious he did drugs and people like that did scare her considering her mother's boyfriend wasn't the most pleasant person to be around.

"She doesn't even call my dad 'uncle' yet," Tracey pointed out.

"Ah, well, then, Trevor's fine," he looked towards her and she scooted closer to the edge of the sofa. Perhaps she should have told on Tracey and spent the day with Amanda doing whatever it was she did. Shopping didn't seem so bad compared to this sketchy middle aged man sitting next to Tracey. "You're a quiet kid, aren't you, Erica?"

"She's just shy," Tracey said.

"Well, kid, no need to be shy here! Tell me about yourself."

"There isn't anything to really tell," Erica replied timidly.

"She likes to read Shakespeare and historical fiction," Tracey answered for her.

"Shakespeare? What kid reads that?" Trevor smiled towards her. "I guess smart kids. Tell me, what's the most important qualities that everyone should be?" His question didn't make much sense to her, but she got the general idea. He was asking what she thought the most important characteristics people should have. She wasn't entirely sure what she should answer, but Erica decided that the truth couldn't hurt. She took a deep breath before responding.

"Loyalty and honesty," Erica replied in a small voice.

"This kid," Trevor said before standing up and pointing at her, "is a fuckin' genius!"

"She is like totally smart," Tracey smiled.

"Thanks," Erica replied timidly. The door to the trailer opened, revealing a man a little older than Tracey. He was rather tall and slim. His hair was black and simply cut short; his eyes were gray and Erica thought they were quite intriguing since she never met anyone with gray eyes before. The pale man was good looking and she had to admit that she was drawn to his eyes. She wasn't attracted to him since she never really thought about things like that yet being only nine years old, but she would classify him as a better looking man than most. When she looked away from his eyes, she noticed on his right cheek that he had a scar running across it. She wondered if he was on his way to having multiple scars like Trevor. The man had takeout bags in his hand.

"Hey, Eddy!" Trevor greeted.

"Hi, Ed," Tracey smiled. "This is my cousin, Erica. Erica, this is Ed."

"Good ol' Edward Rowan over here is my little protégé," Trevor explained. "Ain't that right?"

"Whatever the fuck you wanna call me," Ed shrugged and brought the food over to everyone on the couch. "Nice to meet you, Erica." His voice was softer when he spoke to her, and she appreciated it. He didn't seem nearly as creepy as the other man.

"Nice to meet you, too," Erica replied. Trevor passed a burger and fries to everyone. It seemed as if Trevor knew she was coming because there was a kid's meal especially for her. She reached in and found a toy. It was one of those plastic ponies she didn't really care for, so she put it aside. Actually, when she thought about it, what toys did she care for? She never owned one in her entire life so it was difficult for her to play like other children. She discovered this during an indoor recess when all the kids were playing with inanimate objects and making them have voices. It was rather strange, and she sat in the corner reading on her tablet since Jason wasn't in her classroom.

The adults talked amongst themselves as adults always did, and Erica just ate her lunch since she hadn't realized how hungry she actually was. She was startled when she was acknowledged, but felt she hid it well. It was Trevor who decided to talk to her, and she put on the bravest face she could muster. "You write your letter to Santa yet?"

"No," Erica shook her head. She decided telling the truth would be the best thing in this situation. What if he found out she lied? That wouldn't do any good. The truth, she decided, was best. "I don't plan to. I don't believe in Santa."

"Seriously?" Tracey asked and Erica confirmed it by nodding.

"How'd you find out?" Ed questioned.

"I never got anything for Christmas before," she shrugged. "So I never heard about Santa until the other kids at school talked about him. When I asked my mommy, she said he wasn't real and that those kids' parents were liars."

"I think the lie of Santa Claus is one of the few acceptable ones," Trevor decided.

"Why's that?" Ed asked.

"'cause it just is. Do I have to explain myself to you?" his eyes narrowed at Ed and it became silent. Erica hoped nothing bad would happen, but Tracey broke the silence.

"Well, I remember I found out when I was like, eight. I found the presents that said _from Santa_ on them on Christmas Eve," Tracey said.

"Tell 'em about what you told me when you were a teenager," Ed chuckled, obviously thinking about the memory.

"When I was fourteen, I went downstairs on Christmas Eve. Totally forget why, but anyway, I saw my parents putting the presents under the Christmas tree. I went over there to say Merry Christmas because it was technically Christmas. Anyway, my parents get all panicky. They honestly still thought I believed in Santa. Jimmy did, but I definitely didn't. So, my dad says, 'Never thought your father was Santa Claus!' so I gave him a funny look. He then says, 'you know, I'm Michael De Santa Claus!'. It was so awkward, but mom and I fell on the floor laughing." Trevor laughed obnoxiously, Ed laughed coolly, and Tracey giggled. Erica laughed herself, thinking about her uncle claiming himself to be Santa to a fourteen year old girl. After their laughs and other stories, Tracey left with Ed to go pick up a few things at the store since all Trevor really had in the refrigerator was beer. Apparently, Tracey and Ed would go do Trevor's grocery shopping.

Erica had been asked by Tracey to stay with Trevor. The red head wondered if that really was a good idea. She figured she could hide somewhere if things got really bad. However, Trevor was rather nice to her, asking her about her interests and such. She found herself talking about one of the historical fiction books she read, and she was surprised as he actually listened to her. As she spoke about reading, she realized she hadn't been reading nearly as much as she used to. "I guess it's because there are people here that really care about me," she shrugged. She came to this conclusion and was shocked because she never thought about it before.

Trevor seemed to be holding back an outburst; not towards her, but towards the people in her hometown who never even tried to help her. He even seemed to be angry at her mother for allowing any of the problems she had to happen. "Well, kid," he finally said. This seemed to be a rare form of self-control he possessed. "If anyone hurts you again, I swear I'll rip the skin off 'em."

"I like you," she grinned in that childish way.

"I like you too, little lady," he said in a rough voice, but she welcomed it. She understood why Tracey liked him, but she wondered why Amanda and Michael wouldn't like her there. She found that the De Santa's were rather confusing people. There was something off about Michael. She knew he had robbed banks, but she felt that there was more to it than that. She found it strange how he randomly became a movie producer simply because he liked old movies. Apparently, he must have had the right connections. Amanda, on the other hand, was odd. She didn't seem to be the most attentive mother when it came to her two grown children, resulting in a daughter with an eating disorder and a son who sits in his room all day playing video games. Her breasts were obviously fake, and her mother had mentioned that Amanda used to be a stripper. Those two made an odd couple, but at least Erica was able to predict their behaviors. Trevor, on the other hand, seemed to be extremely unpredictable. But he seemed to like her, so she assumed he'd never do anything to her. He seemed to have a soft spot for children. He was strange, but she accepted it. After all, she was rather strange herself. "How's school going?" she wished he hadn't asked that, but she had to be honest.

"Not good. I get in trouble a lot," she shrugged.

"You?" he questioned. "Ha! Those teachers are pussies. What exactly do you do? Kill people?" She hoped he was joking.

"I scream if someone does something I don't like, I don't sugarcoat history, and I read during math class."

"That's not bad!" Trevor exclaimed. "You make the class interesting."

"Nobody in my class likes to talk to me. I'm okay with that. They're too weird. Or I'm weird, but that's okay. But I have one friend in fifth grade, so I see him at lunch and recess," Erica explained.

"You don't fit in with the other kids," he stated.

"No," she shook her head. "I think it's because I had to grow up faster. I've been looking after myself for lots of years."

"I had a difficult childhood, too. Didn't _fit in_ with the other kids. Sorry, kid. I know it's tough."

"I'm doing better though," Erica replied. "I'm in a house where people don't scream at me. It's like a dream; going from a trailer park to Rockford Hills is…surreal. I have to make the most if it while I'm here."

"When do you go back?"

"In March, so I have time. Despite everything, I miss my mommy."

"Me too, kid, me too."

* * *

Thanks to sUbSoNiCSoundwave for Edward Rowan!

Next, I'd like to thank everyone who's supported the story so far! You guys are awesome!

And I didn't realize how hard it would be to write for Trevor because of his character. I really hope I made it believable. I think he has a soft spot for kids since he was really good to Jimmy and Tracey.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning before the last day of school before winter break wasn't one of the best mornings in Erica's life. Sure, it topped many, but she felt that she had messed up. She told Jason that Tracey took her to Trevor's and apparently Jason had mentioned it in passing when Franklin asked if he'd like to have Erica over since he was babysitting him while Johnny was at work. Jason had known his mistake when he said where Erica was, and the fact that she was at Trevor's didn't sit well. If she had just gone that Saturday, she and her cousin would have gotten away with it, but the red head begged to go back because she had drawn him a picture and wanted to give it to him. Tracey hadn't argued and mentioned Edward was in Los Santos, so he drove them up to Sandy Shores, and then drove them back around five.

Erica wondered why it took so long for Michael and Amanda to confront their daughter if they knew about it for almost a week. She realized it was because Tracey was barely home doing God knows what. The nine year old finished getting ready for school and stood at the top of the stairs and heard the screaming match take place downstairs. "Trevor is fine! I don't know why you two have such a problem with him!" Tracey yelled.

"He's a fucking psychopath, that's why!" she heard Michael yell.

"Who cares? He's fine with me and Erica! He's never done anything."

"He murders people. What other explanation do you need? He sells meth and illegal guns, Tracey," Amanda yelled.

"Well, you murdered tons of people and robbed banks. How can you tell me and Erica not to see Uncle Trevor, but I can see _you_ every day?" Tracey countered. "And when you were my age, you were a fucking stripper with a kid and another on the way. So don't you dare tell me what to do!"

"If you're going to talk to your mother that way, get out," Michael said in a dangerously low tone. "And don't be bringin' Erica to Trevor's again, you hear me?"

"She fucking loves him," Tracey shouted. "And I will not keep her away from him." The front door slammed shut and Erica jumped from her spot. She grabbed her backpack and ran out the door only to see the blonde drive away. She slouched in defeat and made her way back inside the house to see who would be driving her to school. The tension in the room was just too much. She didn't particularly want to be alone in a car with either Michael or Amanda, but it was inevitable because Michael grabbed his keys and stormed out of the house. She followed him outside and got in the front seat of the car. She could tell he was incredibly angry as he drove and she almost wished she figured out another way to get to school. But she wasn't afraid of him because she learned the De Santa's wouldn't harm her, so she decided to talk her way through the ride and maybe he'd understand. If she could never see Trevor again, she'd be upset. She really took a liking to him and felt that he was a good person deep down.

"I hope you'll let me see Trevor again," she spoke.

"He's dangerous," he said and concentrated on the road.

"But not towards me."

"I don't get why you kids like him so much. He's psychotic!" he exclaimed. He had a strong grip on the steering wheel, making his knuckles white.

"Maybe, but he's really nice to me. And Tracey, too. I helped clean his trailer," she explained.

"What do you mean?" Michael asked. "Cleaned his trailer?"

"Yeah," Erica nodded. "Tracey's been going to his place every weekend to keep the place clean because she said it was really gross when she first went to visit."

"I had no idea Tracey could clean," Michael replied, but was obviously shocked. "But it's dangerous in general in Sandy Shores. I don't want you going there with her anymore. I can't stop her from going, but I sure as hell can keep you away from that drug infested desert."

"You and Amanda act like I can't handle myself," Erica crossed her arms. "I live in a trailer park worse than that one. I know how to handle myself."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't go to Sandy Shores." He was rather adamant about this idea that she shouldn't go visit Trevor again. Of course she'd figure out a way to get there herself if she needed to, but that was beside the point.

"And why not? I'm going to go back home in March, aren't I? I don't see the difference."

"The difference is you won't be visiting someone who's insane."

"I'd rather visit an insane person that's really nice to me and knows what I'm going through than go back home to a mommy who doesn't care about me and her boyfriend who hates me," Erica replied coldly. She got out of the car and shut the door without saying goodbye and walked into Los Santos Elementary. She walked into her classroom and sat down. She was forced to sit in the front row due to her bad behavior. She had a feeling today was going to be a long day.

Since it was the last day before winter break, all they did was color, play games, and enjoy a lot of free time. Erica simply read on her tablet as she usually did, but she couldn't focus as much because of all of the kids chattering and eating snacks the teacher and parents brought in. She gave up on reading and just participated. She figured she could be good for just one day in school. Who knows? Maybe Amanda and Michael would be happy without a note to read or a phone call home. Perhaps she'd be rewarded for it because when she did the dishes the other day, Michael took her out for ice cream and told her what a great job she did.

It was time to make gingerbread houses. The students had to form groups of five with their desks in order to share the icing and candy to decorate the houses with. Erica reluctantly joined a group of four girls near her since the teacher chose the groups. She sighed and sat beside Dinusha Panagokos. She was taller than most girls, but not the tallest. She had dark brown skin and these large dark eyes that completely contrasted with Erica's blue ones. Dinusha was chubby, but Erica wouldn't call her fat. She was very quiet and only spoke when spoken to, so she didn't say a word when Erica moved her desk next to hers. The girl sitting across from Erica was Sarah, a brown haired girl with brown eyes who tried to act older than she was. The girl next to her, Hannah, with her dirty blonde hair, did the same. She always wore pink lip gloss that she didn't need. And then there was brown haired blue eyed Jessica who was the leader of her group in which Sarah and Hannah belonged to. Erica would say that the girl was a bit of a bully, always picking on someone. She had made remarks about Erica, but the red head ignored her since harsh words didn't affect her too much.

The three popular girls were chatting quite a bit while Dinusha and Erica remained quiet. Erica couldn't stop thinking about how she may never see Trevor again, and this made her sad on the inside. She really took a liking to him and there was some kind of connection there; it was kind of like he had gone through similar things at her age. She wondered if he could be someone she could vent to when she thought about her mother at times. She'd have to get his email or something from Tracey if she wasn't mad at her for telling Jason where she went. She didn't mean for Franklin to overhear anything and she felt horrible about it.

She absentmindedly built her gingerbread house as the teacher and the aide instructed them in the front of the room. She realized that the house was built and they could begin decorating. She hadn't really been paying attention, but she saw that Dinusha had tears in her eyes as she looked down at her desk. Erica decided to eavesdrop and see what was going on. "It's a shame you don't have a mom. They're great, you know. Two dads is stupid and too weird," Jessica was explaining, being mean as usual. Dinusha was too shy and too quiet to say anything, so she didn't. "Must be weird being adopted. I mean, you weren't even loved by your real parents." Sarah and Hannah put in their share, snickering at everything Jessica was saying.

"Stop it," Erica spoke up. Jessica made her so angry sometimes, especially when she saw what she did to other girls at recess. There had been a time where she wanted to pounce on the girl and slap her in the face, but Jason had held her back.

"Oh, looks like ginger over here says to stop," Sarah chuckled.

"Stay out of it, you freak," Jessica snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"Dinusha," Erica turned towards her, "I'd rather have two cool dads than a whore for a mother and horseshit for a father," she said, looking directly at Jessica. Nobody here knew she lived in a trailer park for a majority of her life. She knew pretty much every swear in the book, but she rarely used them. However, this girl really made her blood boil. She would use the term trailer park trash to describe herself even though she tried to overcome it.

"What did you say to me?" Jessica seethed. "Look, this isn't your business! Stay out of it." Dinusha was openly crying just looking down at her lap as the comments continued. Erica looked over to the teacher and the aide who were completely oblivious to the situation. Erica stood up and walked over to Jessica's desk.

"That's a nice gingerbread house you've got there," Erica said nonchalantly. The girl put a lot of effort into it since there were patterns on the roof and the doors and windows were carefully placed. "It would be a shame if, oh, I don't know, I did _this_," Erica took her fist and crushed the graham crackers, ruining Jessica's hard work. The teacher took notice, but before she could get over to the girls in time, Erica spit right into Jessica's face. "Don't you bother her again, or I'll do more to you than just spit in your face, bitch."

"Erica Meyers!" the teacher said, pulling her aside. "Come with me." The girl did as she was told, glaring at the other girl.

"You bother anyone again, I'll mess you up!" she yelled at Jessica before leaving the room.

"What has gotten into you?" the teacher, Miss Johnson, asked her with anger in her tone as she walked her down to the principal's office.

"That girl is always bothering people, and I finally did something about it," Erica looked at her with narrowed eyes. With the teacher and principal, Erica had to explain what had happened. "Jessica was making fun of Dinusha for having two dads and just saying mean things. So, I got really mad, broke her gingerbread house, and spit in her face. She really deserved to get the living shit-pardon me-beaten out of her. And Sarah and Hannah laughed and went along with it the whole time while Dinusha was crying. What those three stupid girls didn't know was where I come from, you have to be tough," she finished.

"Even though this girl is a bully, you can't do that. You have to explain to an adult and tell Miss Johnson here what Jessica is doing," the principal explained. "This is unacceptable behavior, Erica."

"So Jessica doesn't get sent here when she bullies girls every day, but when someone finally sticks up to her, they get in trouble. Makes sense," Erica crossed her arms defiantly.

"Erica, if you go in there and apologize to Jessica, we can forget this whole thing happened, okay? It's the last day before winter break. Let's not ruin this last day for everyone."

"What happens if I refuse to apologize?"

"I'll have no choice but to send you home."

"Then you best send me home because I'm not apologizing to her."

When Amanda came to pick up Erica, she had been angry because of the fact she had been told she broke a kid's gingerbread house and spit in her face. But when she picked her up in the office, she immediately broke down when they got out to the car. On the drive home, Erica explained the full story to Amanda through her tears. She said how sorry she was, but she wasn't sorry that she had done it because that girl deserved it. She also let everything spill out- her thoughts earlier about how she'd never see Trevor again and how she was afraid Tracey was mad at her. She continued to cry and say how much she missed her mother, but at the same time, she didn't want to see her.

Amanda helped her into the house and carried Erica's backpack for her. The two sat on the couch, Erica being a bit uncomfortable sitting so close to someone. She never really cuddled up to someone before due to her mother's constant rejection when she was younger, but there were times when she felt she really needed it; this time was most definitely one of those. It was as if Amanda could read her mind and she put an arm around her, pulling her closer. Erica rested her head on her chest as the tears fell. She closed her eyes, enjoying the close contact. As Amanda stroked her hair in calm, even strokes, she realized she genuinely felt safe with her. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so secure. "Am I in trouble?" she finally asked in a soft voice. She had to know.

"No," Amanda finally responded after a long pause. "You're not in trouble. That girl was asking for it. Maybe she'll finally stop picking on everyone, hmm?"

"I hope so," Erica smiled through her tears, but didn't get up. She was enjoying this too much. "Will I see Trevor again?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I really like him," Erica's tears stopped. "I overheard you talking to Tracey today. I know there's something weird about him, but I don't think he's so dangerous. I mean, he didn't do anything bad when me and Tracey were there."

"Sweetie, he's done things that I'd rather not repeat," Amanda replied.

"But maybe," Erica sat up and looked directly into Amanda's eyes. "Maybe he just needs people to care about him. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad if we were nice to him." Before Amanda could respond, the house phone rang. She got up to answer it even though she never answered the house phone. It seemed as if she was trying to avoid the entire situation. "It's for you, Erica," Amanda held the phone out to her. "It's Dinusha."

"Thanks," Erica said. She took the phone and sprinted up the stairs to her room and shut the door. "Hello?"

"Hi, Erica. It's Dinusha," the nine year old on the other line responded. "I just called to say thank you. Nobody really stands up to Jessica."

"It's really no problem," Erica shrugged.

"I just didn't really expect that from you because, well, you know…"

"I get in trouble a lot?" Erica laughed. "Yeah, well, it's one thing to get in trouble, but it's another thing to be a bully. I hate people like her."

"Thanks so much for sticking up for me, though. It means a lot. Anyway, maybe over winter break we can do something together. I see you reading a lot, so maybe we can go to the library or book store one day after Christmas," Dinusha suggested.

"Sure!" Erica said and winced since she sounded too excited for her liking. "You like reading, too?"

"Yeah, but I don't read anything like you do. I saw you reading complicated stuff," Dinusha giggled. The two chatted for a little longer until the other girl had to go to the grocery store with her parents. Erica hung up the phone, smiling to herself. Had she made another friend already? Her entire attitude had changed from sad and angry at everything to having a positive outlook. She put the phone back on the receiver downstairs and saw Amanda watching television on the couch. She wasn't sure why she did it, but she plopped down next to her and put her head on Amanda's lap.

* * *

Hey guys! I'd like to thank BasaFILLET for Dinusha Panagokos! I'd also like to thank the people who reviewed last chapter. I am so glad I didn't butcher Trevor's character like that! I will say, reviews like those always put a smile on my face. Thanks so much! And thank you to the readers and people who followed/favorited!


	8. Chapter 8

Amanda gave herself a difficult task to make sure Tracey and Jimmy were home for Christmas Eve. Jimmy was actually pretty easy, but it was difficult to get him to join in on the festivities she desperately wanted to do. Tracey still hadn't come home since she and Michael had that fight about Trevor Philips with her. It was strange when Michael got a text from Trevor explaining that Tracey was with him and that she was safe. But, he warned, don't tell Tracey that he told him because that would probably make her angrier than she already was. Amanda tried to call and text Tracey multiple times, begging her to be home for Christmas Eve and she still hadn't gotten a response.

Amanda decided to start baking to fill the void that her children were so uninterested in the old traditions they had. She missed those days quite a bit. She remembered Tracey helping her with the cookies and Jimmy always loved to decorate the tree. Ever since Tracey was about sixteen, the two kids had decided the festivities were lame and the cookie baking, house, and tree decorating were left to Amanda. She took the ingredients and put them on the counter. She didn't even like baking, but felt that she should always provide cookies on Christmas Eve for the family. It was only six thirty in the morning, but she wanted them done by the time everyone woke up. It was the one morning that cookies for breakfast were allowed. "What are you doing?" Erica asked. It was strange how she never just sat around in her pajamas, but always seemed to get dressed and ready for the day first thing in the morning. She wore a dark red dress and put on white socks that had lace at the top of them (Amanda herself thought they were cute and bought her a whole bunch of them).

"I'm making Christmas cookies," Amanda replied with a smile. She watched Erica, the girl staring at the glass vase with the red and silver ornament balls in them. The entire house was decorated for the holidays, but not over the top. She enjoyed the decorating because when she was a child, her mother never did anything festive.

"Really?" Erica's nose scrunched. "You don't seem like the baking type."

"I am once a year," Amanda said.

"Can I help?" Erica questioned.

"Sure. Drag over a chair," Amanda replied. As they made the cookies, it reminded Amanda how fun it was to have a kid in the house. Sure, they grew up to be bratty teenagers, but she missed these times. She had her own children young and was very unprepared to be a mother and she wished she had done a better job. She felt she was much more relaxed now, especially when it came to Erica, and she wished she could have been less uptight ten or fifteen years ago.

After the two put the cookies in the oven, Erica got to lick the cookie dough off of the spoon as the two sat at the dining room table. "So, what do you usually do on Christmas Eve with your mom?" Erica gave her a strange look and put the now cookie dough free spoon on the table.

"Nothing. I didn't even know people did anything until you started decorating the house," she explained.

"Oh. How about Christmas, then? How does Santa treat you?"

"Amanda, does it look like I believe in Santa?" Erica queried.

"When did you find out?"

"I never believed," Erica shrugged. "It wasn't something my mommy did."

"My mom didn't do it, either," Amanda replied. "What did you get for Christmas last year, then?"

"Nothing. I never got a present before." Amanda was shocked. She had horrible memories of her own past, but her mother always got her at least one present every year for the holiday. Was her sister really that horrible of a mother? "It doesn't matter, though. My mommy gave me the best present ever. She sent me here to stay with you guys and I'm really happy."

"I'm glad you're happy here," Amanda smiled and had to keep her tears at bay. She had a feeling her sister was even worse than she expected.

"I don't think I've ever been happy before. Thank you so much for everything. I know I get into trouble a lot at school and I can be a pain, but I don't do it to make you angry."

"Sweetie, you're a kid," Amanda laughed. "You aren't supposed to be perfect. You're a good girl." Erica beamed at that statement and the conversation had changed to random topics. The cookies were finished by the time Michael made his way down the stairs. He kissed his wife and greeted Erica with a good morning.

"I see you baked the cookies," Michael stretched and made his way over to them.

"Don't eat them all," Amanda warned.

"Hey, Erica," Michael said, ignoring Amanda. "What do you say we have some cookies and milk and watch TV?" Erica happily joined him in the other room while Amanda put some cookies on a plate and poured two glasses of milk. She brought out the cookies first followed by their drinks. She made sure to bring them napkins so that crumbs didn't get all over the couch. Amanda joined them, having only one cookie because Erica insisted on it and the three watched old Christmas specials until about eleven when Michael decided it was time to get the Christmas tree. Amanda went up the stairs to see if Jimmy wanted to join them. She knocked on his door and didn't get a response. She opened the door and saw that he was still sleeping. Gently, she shook him awake calling his name.

"Jimmy, want to come with us to get the Christmas tree? We're leaving in thirty minutes."

"No," he groaned. "Leave me alone," he commanded. She felt that she should force him to go and insist on it, but she just didn't have the energy to do so. Sighing, she left his room and hopped in the shower. After her shower, she called Tracey again, informing her that she, Erica, and Michael were getting the tree and if she came home, Jimmy was still there.

The three headed out to pick out a tree. Amanda let Michael and Erica take the lead; she just made a few comments when they pointed one out. The first tree had needles falling off of it, the second wasn't the shade of green she wanted (she felt it was too bright even though Michael explained to her it was just a different type of tree), and the third was too big. For a moment, she stopped herself because Amanda felt she was becoming that pesky every day housewife and mother.

She watched how happy Erica was when she pointed out different trees. There were surprisingly quite a few to choose from considering it was Christmas Eve. Amanda held Michael's hand as they walked through the trees. "How about this one?" Erica stopped and turned to face Michael and Amanda. Her eyes were wide with excitement, her smile wide and full of happiness. It was hard to believe that this was still the same girl who she picked up from the airport weeks ago. There were still some behavioral issues that needed to be worked out, but she was beginning to be more and more like a nine year old rather than a girl trying to take care of herself.

"Let's see…" Michael said jokingly, using his free hand to stroke his nonexistent beard. "I'm thinkin' this one's a nice one. Right shade of green, Amanda?" he looked at her with a smirk. She rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Yes. But I mostly care about the pine needles. Shake it." Michael released her hand and took the tree by the trunk and began to shake it. "Looks good. It's the right size, too," Amanda commented when little to no pine needles fell off of the tree. Sure, she had a maid, but she was off through New Year's which meant she would be the one sweeping up the pine needles.

"This is the one! Nice pick, kid," he said. Erica seemed to soak up the praise. It seemed as if her sister never really encouraged her. Amanda hoped she was wrong.

After paying for the tree, Michael insisted that he'd tie the tree to the car. He did it every year without any help from the people at the garden center they went to. Erica waited in the back seat of the car while Amanda stood outside watching her husband tie up the tree. "Have you heard from Trevor?" As much as Amanda hated the man, he was keeping Michael updated on Tracey. She thought it was strange how much the kids actually liked the psychopath and she probably would never understand it. Erica seemed to love the guy.

"Yeah. T says he's gonna make her come home tonight even if he has to knock her out and drive her over here himself," Michael said. Amanda's eyes went wide in fear. "Relax, babe, it's a joke. He wouldn't do that to her."

"I sure hope not," Amanda commented.

"Anyway, Tracey will probably come back tonight in time for dinner. She'll be here, don't worry about it," Michael said and wrapped an arm around her waist after the tree was securely in place. He kissed her cheek before getting into the car. She followed suit and got into the passenger's seat. Erica looked so happy in the back and she hadn't even brought her tablet with her. She was doing less reading and more interacting with the family and even some friends. She and Dinusha talked on the phone every single day for hours. It reminded her of when Tracey was that age and tied up the houseline for quite some time. She was worse than Erica because she had about ten best friends (or so she claimed). Amanda wondered if she would have been a better mother if she was this age when her kids were Erica's age. Despite everything, she was definitely more patient and she didn't have to worry about making ends meet.

When they arrived back at the house, Michael carried the tree in and put it in the tree stand. Erica looked up at the tree in awe and mentioned how she never had a tree in a house. She commented on how weird a tradition it was. She was adorable, Amanda thought, with her nose scrunched up when she said, "Who thought of putting a bunch of stuff on a tree? Oh wait; it was the pagans, I think. Pretty sure I read it in a book once."

"I think you're right," Michael commented. "All right, I'm gonna go put the lights on the tree. I'll let you girls know when I'm done."

"I think we should put on some Christmas music," Amanda decided. She got her phone and put it in the docking station, selecting the Christmas playlist Michael created on their computer. Erica ran up the stairs to go get Jimmy. She was successful somehow and he trudged down the stairs ten minutes after she announced he was coming.

"Nice of you to join us, Jim," Michael said.

"Yeah, well, she wouldn't stop jumping on my bed," he grumbled and sat down on the couch. Erica, wearing her dark purple dress, spun around so that it flared out. She grabbed Jimmy's hand, begging him to dance with her. "I don't dance," he responded coolly.

"But you have to," Erica stressed as she tugged until he finally stood up. Amanda had to admit, Erica was a very good dancer. She didn't even seem to think about it and as she swayed to the music. Jimmy, on the other hand, needed a lot of practice. Desperately. It was almost painful to watch, but she had to remind herself that he wasn't even trying.

"I have dough in the fridge for gingerbread cookies," Amanda announced. She had made it the day before, along with the sugar cookie dough.

"Can we make them now?" Erica asked with glee.

"Yes we can!"

"Come on, Jimmy!" Erica exclaimed and dragged him into the kitchen with her. It was funny how Jimmy was trying to hide a smile on his face. He obviously liked when the little orange haired girl was around. By the time the cookies were out of the oven, Michael had finished putting up the lights, put the star at the top, and brought down all of the boxes of ornaments from the basement. Erica was given ornaments to hang up since she looked ready to burst. Amanda watched as Michael lifted her up so she could put one of the bird ornaments in a higher branch.

"She's way too into this," Jimmy said to his mother.

"You were the same way at that age," Amanda smiled, remembering her son when he was a skinny nine year old boy with too much energy that all boys have. "And just remember, she's never done this before. My sister apparently didn't really do Christmas. This is all new to her."

"That's actually really sad," Jimmy said as he watched Erica put another ornament on the tree.

"I like this one," Erica said to Michael.

"You say that about all the bird ones," Michael laughed.

"Yeah, but this one's my favorite. I think it's a cardinal. Jimmy, are you gonna help or make me do all the work?"

"I'm coming," Jimmy said and to Amanda's surprised, he turned to her and said, "Don't let me take the blame, mom. You've gotta help, too."

After the tree was finished, Erica and Jimmy decorated the gingerbread cookies. Amanda joined them for a little bit, but mostly let the two do it on their own as she made the sugar cookies. Michael was in the other room watching an old classic Christmas movie. Erica eventually joined him while Jimmy helped Amanda clean up and set the table for dinner. She was surprised that he did this without even being told to, and she cherished the time she spent with her son who was usually locked up in his room playing videogames. When dinner was ready, Amanda went into the other room to let Erica and Michael know. She smiled when she saw that Erica leaned up against her uncle, the way Tracey used to, with her head on his chest and her legs folded up beside her. They had begun to bond over the fact that they enjoyed those old black and white movies.

The two got up from the couch and made their way over to the table. Amanda hid her sadness that Tracey wasn't home for dinner. She had managed to postpone dinner until seven without anyone noticing, but she couldn't force them to wait any longer. Right as everyone was serving themselves, the front door opened. It was Tracey, and she sat down at the place that was set for her. "I'm so happy you're home," Amanda said. "I was beginning to worry."

"Relax, I'm fine," Tracey responded as she started to make herself a plate. "I was at Trevor's. You know, for a psychopath," she emphasized the word psychopath, "he was the one who forced me to be with my parents."

"Hey, enough," Michael said when Tracey used a snobby tone of voice. "It's Christmas Eve. Sit and enjoy the dinner your mother made."

"I didn't have to come home," she retorted.

"Yeah, but you did, so now you must suffer with the rest of us," Michael joked.

"You missed a lot, Tracey! Amanda and I made Christmas cookies and then Michael and I watched Christmas stuff on TV, and then we got a tree and decorated it! After, we made gingerbread cookies and then me and Michael watched an old Christmas movie! Oh, and Jimmy danced with me! He has to work on his moves, but I'm not judging." It was cute how Erica described her day, ignoring the proper use of grammar like most kids.

"Sounds fun," Tracey smiled, having a soft spot for the girl.

"How's Trevor?" Erica queried.

"He's good. We watched a few Christmas specials today. He got his TV to work right, finally," she explained. Erica continued to talk to Tracey throughout dinner. She really seemed to look up to her for some reason. Amanda couldn't figure out why. She was proud of Tracey since she was turning her life around, but she was rarely home. She hoped she wasn't doing anything related to pornography or selling herself. As her mother, Amanda knew she should talk to her daughter about some serious issues. She was aware that Tracey sometimes made herself sick after meals but she tried to ignore it since it was easier that way. She figured if Tracey wanted to talk about it, she'd go to her. Despite these thoughts, she found herself following Tracey up the stairs and into the bathroom.

"Why now?" Tracey asked before she could kneel in front of the toilet.

"Because I think we…I think we need to talk about this," Amanda replied.

"On Christmas Eve? After I just get back from Trevor's?" Tracey questioned. "I heard enough about it from him, so please just leave me alone."

"Why do you do it?"

"Why do I do it?" Tracey repeated. "I do it because nobody wants a fucking fat daughter."

"That's ridiculous. We'd love you the same whether you were one hundred pounds or five hundred. But I'd prefer you to eat your food and keep it down," Amanda explained. She knew she wasn't very good with words and she wished she had a better mother herself so that she'd have a good role model. Unfortunately, she had horrible parents and so did Michael, so everything was completely foreign to them.

"Yeah, well, you and dad have done a shitty job as parents. Look how I turned out. And look at Jimmy!" Tracey said, getting emotional.

"Look," Amanda went to explain, "your father and I didn't have great parents. We are doing our best."

"How would I know? You never talk about them." At this point, the two were sitting on the bathroom floor, backs against the vanity. "What were they like?"

"My parents? Well, my dad was an alcoholic and I didn't see much of him. My mom was a prostitute." Amanda never talked about her parents and she didn't think she'd ever have to. But she felt that if Tracey asked, she should mention them. It was hard to talk about, tears coming to her eyes. The images of abuse came back to her and it was almost haunting.

"Did they hurt you?"

"When I was a kid, yes. When I started high school it stopped but I think that was because I wasn't home a lot," Amanda explained.

"Do you think your sister…my aunt…do you think she hurts Erica like your mom hurt you?"

"I'd like to think not," Amanda replied. "I think when she gets out of rehab, she'll treat her better. Erica loves her mother. I never loved mine."

"Well, I love mine," Tracey said, looking at the floor. Tears came to Amanda's eyes and she hugged her daughter. They hadn't been close since the blonde was younger. She had to admit, this conversation went a lot better than she initially thought it would. It was the distraction Tracey needed, it seemed, because she wasn't thinking about throwing up.

"Sorry to bother you," Erica said outside the bathroom, looking at the two on the floor. "But we were wondering if you'd wanna come watch Frosty with us?"

"Yeah," Tracey replied quietly which was rather unlike her. "Yeah," she said louder. "We're coming," Tracey said as she and Amanda stood up. Erica smiled, grabbing Tracey's hand. She really had missed her. Amanda followed them down the stairs. Amanda settled herself beside her husband and cuddled beside him, his arm around her. Erica sat beside Tracey and used her lap as a pillow and put her feet on Jimmy's lap. It was a nice scene and Amanda made a mental note to remember it. It was nice that Jimmy and Tracey were getting along. She was glad the two loved their little cousin, the jealousy (especially on Jimmy's part) disappeared completely.

That night, Amanda tucked in all the kids to bed. Jimmy protested considerably, but she was feeling rather emotional and had to do it. Tracey was a bit more accommodating and humored her. Erica was too happy for words. It took her a while to settle down into bed and Amanda couldn't stop thinking about her sister; how could she treat a kid so poorly that the girl had such a drastic change in personality when she came to stay with herself and Michael?

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Thanks again to everyone who has taken an interest in this story! Your reviews always make me happy :)


	9. Chapter 9

It was Christmas morning. Erica wasn't sure what to expect since Christmas Eve was so much fun. Tracey said Christmas was better, but could that even be possible? The red head went about her morning normally. She used the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. She decided on putting it in two braids. Satisfied, she went into her bedroom and picked out a dress to wear. Since it was Christmas, she went with the green one Amanda bought her about a week ago saying that it was perfect. She put on her white tights and looked at herself in the mirror. Something was missing. Frowning, she went into the top drawer of her vanity and saw the various hair ribbons she had. She always wore a ribbon in her hair up until the summer when her mother's boyfriend took her ribbons and burned them when he was drunk. When she mentioned she liked hair ribbons, Amanda let her pick out many of them and she had all kinds of colors. She found that the dark green one matched her dress best, so she tied them at the ends of her braids.

Erica smiled, happy with her appearance. She grabbed the pictures she drew for the family. Erica was a bit upset since she didn't have any money, but she figured the pictures would do. She decided to go downstairs to see if Amanda was up as per usual. Instead of the kitchen, Amanda was in the living room sitting on the sofa. Erica wondered why, but as she entered the room and saw just how many presents were underneath the tree, her jaw dropped. She couldn't even count how many presents were wrapped and bagged! She went over to Amanda. She was rather confused, but she was familiar with presents under the tree from books and kids who bragged about what they got back in North Yankton. "Merry Christmas, Erica," Amanda smiled, clutching her coffee with both hands.

"Merry Christmas," Erica replied, still in awe.

"Everyone else probably won't be up for a little bit. You want to see what's in your stocking?" Erica was confused; she had her own stocking? Since when? She noticed the stocking with her name written on it in white against red fabric hanging over the fireplace right beside Jimmy's. She could see it was stuffed to the brim. She put her drawings on the coffee table.

"All that stuff in there is for me?" she asked, hesitating to approach it.

"It has your name on it," Amanda said. She put her coffee mug on the table and stood to usher Erica over to her stocking. "Go on," she urged. Erica lifted it off of the hook and carried it over to the couch. She and Amanda sat down. The girl had tears in her eyes. She had never been given a gift on Christmas before. She hugged her aunt, who hugged her back. The girl continuously said thank you until Amanda told her that she should see what's inside of it. Erica nodded and began to pull things out. She first pulled out some gum, candy, and nail polish. She got some hair ties and ribbons. She pulled out at least three or four pairs of Christmas socks. She especially liked the ones with the Santa heads on them. If it was even possible, she pulled out more things such as chap stick, lip gloss, and a new hairbrush.

"Thank you so much!" Erica said before hugging Amanda again.

"You're welcome," the older woman laughed.

"I made you a picture. I couldn't buy you anything," she frowned.

"Sweetie, I didn't expect you to buy me anything. Let me see the picture," Amanda encouraged. Erica handed her the picture she drew. It said _Merry Christmas_ across the top. She had drawn a Christmas tree with many ornaments on it and presents underneath it. On the side, she wrote a message: _To Amanda, Thank you for everything that you have done for me. I am so grateful that I have someone in my life who willingly took me in. I appreciate everything that you bought me and thank you for letting me be me. I finally know what it's like to be happy! Love, Erica_. "This is probably one of the best gifts I ever got," Amanda smiled genuinely. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Erica smiled. After Amanda made Erica some hot chocolate, the nine year old felt like an adult. She sat beside her aunt with the coffee cup in her hands and she decided at that moment, she wanted to be just like Amanda. Of course, that mindset would change soon because sometimes kids got those kind of ideas briefly, but for the moment, she thought it would be cool to be like her aunt.

Michael was the next to join them on the sofa. Erica had given him a picture of Rudolph and a blond elf who wanted to be a dentist. The message was similar to the one she wrote for Amanda, and she was so happy he smiled at it and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He then wanted to see what she got in her stocking and she happily showed off her new things. "You look beautiful in that dress. I don't think I've seen you wear that one," he said to her.

"I'm glad you noticed," she beamed. "I was saving it for Christmas!"

"That was a great choice," he commented. "Hey, it's eight. Why don't you go wake up your cousins? They can get up early for once. Once they're up, you can open your presents."

"Wait, I have more things?" Erica asked, shocked.

"Of course you do," Amanda laughed lightly. "Now, go on up and wake up Tracey and Jimmy." Erica nodded before scrambling up the stairs. She burst into Jimmy's room without knocking. She opened up the shades to his usually dark room and let in the sunlight. She pressed her hands onto the end of his bed and began to bounce up and down excitedly.

"Jimmy, Jimmy! Wake up! It's Christmas!" she announced. "You have to get up!"

"Christmas? Fuck yeah!" Jimmy said. "Wait, what time is it?"

"Eight," Erica said. "But it doesn't matter! Get up! Get up!"

"All right, all right. This is the one time when it's acceptable to wake me up. Any other day and I'd kill you," he warned.

"Okay, just get up, please," she said and batted her eyelashes. She rushed into Tracey's room next. She climbed onto Tracey's bed and shook her awake, announcing that it was Christmas morning.

"I'm getting up," Tracey said, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "You sure are excited."

"How can I not be?" Erica queried with a broad smile on her face. Tracey laughed and told her she'd be downstairs soon. Of course, the blonde grabbed her robe which indicated she was going to take a shower. Erica groaned in protest, but decided that opening presents could wait for a half an hour. Erica rushed down the stairs and kept herself occupied watching Christmas specials with Michael. _Frosty the Snowman_ was on again and she decided that one was her favorite. Once that was over, Jimmy finally emerged tiredly since he was up gaming all night most likely, and Tracey followed him down. Before anyone could start opening presents, there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" Erica announced before running to the door.

"Follow her," Amanda said to Jimmy, and just because it was Christmas, he didn't question his mother or protest. When Erica opened the door, she saw a man dressed as Santa Claus, the full red suit and beard. Her eyes went wide and she saw a black sack that he had slung over his shoulders.

"Ho, ho, ho! Is this the De Santa household? I was told to make a special delivery here this morning by my trusty elf sidekick," the man said. Erica managed to look around Santa and saw that it was Edward standing there, obviously forced to wear those horrible fake elf ears. However, he didn't seem to be upset or embarrassed about it; but then, would someone like Edward get embarrassed that easily? She doubted it.

"Uncle T!" Jimmy exclaimed, noticing his father's friend. "Merry Christmas, dude. What are you doin' here?"

"I wanted to spend Christmas with my favorite family," he responded.

"Trevor!" Erica said and hugged him. He hugged her back with his free arm. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, kid," he replied.

"Ah, fuck," Michael said under his breath when he came to the front door after hearing his son announce who it was. "Trevor, what are you doin' here? And in a Santa suit?"

"Wanted to come spend Christmas with my best friend and his family," Trevor said and put down the black sack to pick up Erica. She hugged her arms around his neck briefly. She laughed with glee.

"We were about to open presents!" Erica said to him.

"All righty," Trevor said. "Hey, elf, grab the sack, would ya?"

"There are so many things wrong with that sentence," Edward replied before picking up the bag and following Trevor into the living room. That, of course, went right over Erica's head and she didn't pick up on it.

"Trevor?" Tracey said and stood up. "Didn't expect to see you so soon. Totally glad you're here. Hey, Ed," she smiled.

"Oh God," Amanda said. "Michael?"

"Hey, T, you want to call next time before you show up in a Santa costume? Or show up at all," he said.

"Just wanted to surprise everyone with a visit," Trevor said and set Erica down. He sat on the floor as she began to find her presents underneath the Christmas tree. "Lookin' fine as always, Amanda," he acknowledged her.

"Let him stay," Tracey whispered. "Look how happy Erica is." Amanda reluctantly let Trevor Philips stay in her home along with his protégé Michael mentioned. However, Edward couldn't stay long as he said he had friends to visit. Trevor thanked him for his elfly duties before the quiet man left.

"Look at this!" Erica said when she unwrapped a Wii. "Whoa!"

"You like it?" Amanda smiled, obviously trying to force herself not to grab Erica and take her away from Trevor.

"I do! Thank you!" Erica unwrapped more presents and found that she got some dancing games and a karaoke game to go along with her new gaming system. Jimmy decided it was his duty to explain them to her with all of his gaming knowledge. He didn't play those kinds of games himself, but he most certainly knew about them. She also got a Mario racing game and pointed to one of the characters on it. "This one," she said to Jimmy. "This one's my favorite," she decided. It was a blonde princess in a pink dress. "I'm going to play as her later."

"Sounds good," Jimmy said as he, too, unwrapped his presents rapidly. Erica, however, opened them rather slowly. She tore the wrapping paper off of various _Disney_ movies. She had never seen them before and she found herself drawn to the different princesses. She'd have to ask Dinusha about them later. She assumed she'd know all about them considering she seemed to know everything Erica didn't such as the good television shows and the names of a brand of stuffed animals.

"A new phone!" Tracey squealed in delight. "Oh my God, thank you so much!"

"What? Tracey got a new phone?" Jimmy questioned. "And I didn't?"

"Calm down, Jim," Michael warned. "You didn't get to yours yet."

"Way to ruin the surprise," Jimmy grumbled, but happily grabbed the cell phone shaped present underneath the Christmas tree and thanked his parents.

"A doll?" Erica tilted her head in confusion. She had never really played with toys like that before. She looked at the doll dressed in nineteen twenties fashion. She had blonde hair and green eyes. Her mouth was shaped in a permanent smile. It was strange to look at something that resembled a small girl.

"That's Lillian. She's one of those fancy dolls," Tracey explained. "There's a whole bunch of them, but I know how much you like the twenties, so we got that one. She even comes with her own book series. See?" Erica picked up the book that was in the box and thumbed through it. The words were larger than she was used to, and she realized it was a kid's book. However, she'd give it a try.

"Okay. Thanks!" she said. Erica got a bunch of different accessories for the doll and she realized she'd have to learn how to play with them. She'd have to ask Dinusha about that, too. She thought about Jason, but he probably wouldn't know much about dolls. She continued to open presents and found that she got a Lego set from Jimmy. After opening that present, she gave him the picture she drew for him with a little message on it. Next, she opened Tracey's present. They were earrings and Erica loved them. They were cute little pink bow earrings with diamonds in the center. She was happy that she finally had earrings to wear since her mother's boyfriend decided to throw her only pair of studs away one night. Her ears had been pierced since she was eighteen months, and she remembered faintly that until the age of four or five, she had been called "the perfect accessory" by her mother.

She had given Tracey the picture she drew for her and the blonde promised to hang it up above her desk in her room. Once everyone had opened their presents, Trevor got up from the floor and plopped down on the couch beside Amanda, who slowly inched away from him. "Now it's Santa's turn to give out his presents! Ho ho ho!" he exclaimed too loudly and grabbed his black bag filled with presents. "Let's see, this one here is for...Amanda! Come on sit on Santa's lap," he said, patting his leg.

"That's takin' it too far, T," Michael said, but had to stifle his laughter at the look of horror on Amanda's face.

"Who is this T you speak of, _M_?" Trevor questioned. "I'm Santa! Ho ho ho!" Jimmy burst out laughing followed by his sister. "Good 'ole Santa here has a gift for you," he said, handing Amanda a small, rectangular box. It was wrapped rather poorly in cheap wrapping paper, but it was the thought that counted.

"Thank you," Amanda replied carefully. "I sort of feel bad because I didn't get you anything."

"Hey, I'm Santa. I give the gifts. Besides, you'll be cooking me a nice dinner tonight. Now, open it!" he said impatiently. Amanda did as she was told and unwrapped the present carefully. When she opened it, she gasped when she saw that he had bought her a very beautiful white gold bracelet. It was simple, but it was probably one of the best bracelets she would own.

"Thank you," she repeated, feeling weird that Trevor Philips had rendered her speechless.

"And here's a little somethin' for Mikey because he's been such a good boy this year. Come on over and pop a squat on Santa's lap."

"I'll pass on that," Michael said and took the gift. He opened it to find a two year membership to the golf club. "Thanks, T. I actually have your present upstairs. Let me go get that." Apparently, the two had taken up golf as a sport. Trevor and Michael joked that they had turned into rich middle aged white guys and had played a game as a joke, but found that they actually enjoyed themselves. The two had invited Franklin to join. He played one game, but said it was boring as fuck, and he left the two to enjoy that game themselves. Michael came back with a large box, placing it in front of Trevor.

"Looks like Santa does get a present this year!" he exclaimed, unwrapping the present savagely, revealing a set of new golf clubs and bag.

"They really _are_ old," Jimmy murmured to Tracey who nodded in agreement. Then, she realized how close she was sitting next to him on the floor, gave him a slightly disgusted look, and pushed herself more towards her mother who was still sitting on the couch.

"And now who do we have here? Jimmy! Get over here!" Trevor said. Jimmy complied, but refused to sit on his lap like everyone else had. He opened his present and was thrilled he got a new gaming headset, a more expensive and better one, than the one he already had (although that one was also expensive, but it wasn't as good as this newer model). Erica was next, who sat on Trevor's lap, to receive her present. "Have you been a good little girl?"

"Mostly," Erica said. "I try my best, Santa!"

"Well, that's perfectly fine with me!" he exclaimed and handed her a couple of things. She opened them and was very happy that she finally had real books. She received a number of Shakespeare's plays and got a few books about the early 1900s. She hugged him, thanked him, and hopped off his lap. "Last but not least, Tracey!" Trevor announced. She stood in front of him. "Now, are you gonna be an asshole or a good girl like Erica and humor good ole Santa?" The twenty two year old rolled her eyes and sat down on his lap. He handed her the present, and she had received a rather pretty necklace. She thanked him and went over to her mother so that she could help her put it on. "Now that that's over," Santa said. "I best be on my way. Good bye my fellow Santas!"

"What?" Michael was incredibly confused.

"You are the De Santa's now," Trevor burst out laughing at his own joke and left the house.

"That was-" Jimmy started.

"Totally strange, even for him," Tracey finished.

"I was gonna say fucked up, but yeah."

About a minute later, Trevor burst through the door in nicer clothes than he usually wore-meaning no blood or sweat stains- and plopped onto the couch. "Well, shit, I just saw Santa leave your house! Can't believe I missed him!"

"Trevor!" Erica laughed wholeheartedly along with the rest of the family. After the laughter settled down, Michael went to put in Christmas DVD. Michael sat in his armchair while Trevor sat on the side of the couch closest to him. Tracey sat down beside Trevor and Jimmy sat beside his sister. Amanda was at the other end and let Erica sit close to her. The girl really did like to cuddle up to people. After the movie, Erica and Amanda went into the kitchen to start preparing a late lunch. Tracey and the guys stayed in the living room drinking beers with some Christmas music in the background.

The day was filled with a bunch of fun events including everyone playing Erica's new dance and karaoke games. Erica, Trevor, and Jimmy built random things with the Legos, Tracey sat in Erica's room and helped her learn how to play with a doll, and eventually around four, lunch/dinner was ready. Erica didn't think it was possible to be any happier than she was yesterday, but apparently it was. But then, at around seven o'clock, it hit her that her mother never gave her a phone call. She figured it was still early enough, but she decided to busy herself with putting away her new toys and movies.

There was a small bookshelf in her room that already had a small amount of books on it. She moved those to the bottom and put her new books and movies on there after she dusted it. She cleaned the mirror above the vanity. She spent a long time deciding where to put the doll she got and she sat it at the doll's school desk. She still wasn't' sure how she felt about it.

Eventually, she joined everyone for desert and forgot about her mother for a moment. They had blueberry pie. Although Amanda baked cookies around Christmas, she refused to make a pie, so that was store bought. They settled down and watched television. Despite the adults staying up, Erica was sent to bed at ten thirty when she could barely keep her eyes open and drifted in and out of sleep. She changed into her new nightgown and laid down in bed.

The thoughts about her mother popped up again. Why didn't she call? Did she forget? Did she not know the number? Maybe she tried to call but things got in the way? Did she simply not care? Erica had a feeling it was that one. Her mother never really cared about her, even when she was young enough to be that perfect accessory. That was only a façade she kept up in public. But her mother was more of a night person, Erica thought. By now, everyone else had gone to bed, or so she thought. She crept down the stairs and peaked into the living room. Trevor was sleeping on the couch, snoring loudly. She went into the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter as quietly as she could and sat by the phone.

First, a half an hour went by and then another. It eventually turned into two hours, then three. She was exhausted, but she couldn't miss her mother's phone call. Sure, technically it wasn't Christmas anymore, but her mother was usually late when it came to certain things. She began to swing her legs against the counter forgetting that Trevor was in the living room. Tears were falling down her cheeks that she wasn't aware of. "Hey, kid, what are you doin'?" Trevor stumbled into the kitchen, unattractively scratching at his crotch a few times. When she didn't respond, he noticed the house phone on the counter. He looked at the phone she was staring at.

"My mommy promised to call on Christmas," Erica said in a small voice.

"Oh, fuck," he swore to himself.

"She's never gonna call here," Erica realized she was crying now. She jumped down from the counter and started pacing frantically. Trevor watched her go back and forth, not knowing what to say to comfort her since he didn't even know how he could have comforted himself when he was a child in a similar situation. "But why would I want her to call?" she questioned no one. Trevor was at loss for words because it was an all too familiar feeling. She looked too old for her age at this moment. "She would have just reminded me of how much of a failure I am; how ungrateful!" Her little hands were clutched into fists.

"Hey, Erica," Trevor tried to break her out of whatever kind of trance she was in. "I get it. It's all right."

"Don't lie to me," she said viciously. "It won't be all right. It never will be. All she does is hurt me, but I still love her. It's not right! It's not all right!" Her eyes were narrowed as she continued to speak to no one in particular. "She never thinks I do anything right. I'm always such a disappointment. I should have called her. I should have done something. What is wrong with me?" she saw a few glasses drying by the sink. She picked one up and slammed it on the ground. She watched the glass shatter in many pieces. She went to pick up another glass, but Trevor stopped her and lifted her away from the glass since she was barefoot and she could cut herself pretty badly. "What are you doing? Put me down!" she demanded.

"Erica," he said sternly and knelt down, taking her by the shoulders to keep her in place. She looked at him and completely broke down.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry!"

"Hey, hey, no need to be sorry."

"What's going on?" Michael appeared downstairs. He must have heard the glass break. Trevor picked up Erica who was about to fall on the floor, and stood up.

"Her mom never called," Trevor said to him. Erica clung to his shirt as if her life depended on it.

"Oh, shit," Michael said under his breath. Amanda came down the stairs moments later. Michael whispered to her. Her eyes went wide and she put a hand to her mouth. Tears came to her own eyes when she saw just how upset Erica was.

"Uh, I'm not very good with…well…this," Trevor said.

"I'll take her," Amanda said and Trevor handed her off.

"You got her?" Michael asked as Amanda struggled to get a good grip on her. When she did, she nodded.

"I'm going to take her upstairs."

"We'll clean up," Michael said.

"Thanks for helping her," Amanda said to Trevor before carrying Erica up the stairs.

"It's not fair," Erica said when she was placed on her bed.

"I know it isn't," Amanda hugged her. "I wish I could change it."

"You never will be able to," Erica sniffed as Amanda pulled the blankets over her. The red head leaned back against the pillows. Amanda sat beside her until the girl stopped crying. She rubbed at her eyes.

"I know she didn't call, but you had a great day, didn't you?" Amanda asked her. Erica nodded in agreement. "Remember when you played that karaoke game and did a duet with Uncle Michael? Hmm?"

"Yeah," Erica laughed. "He was all over the place!"

"That's right! But you and Tracey were really good together."

"Yeah we were!" Erica smiled.

"That's my girl," Amanda smiled back. "We can try and call her at a more reasonable hour if you'd like," she offered. She left out the part that her sister didn't want Erica to call her. It was a strange request, Amanda thought, but she figured she was afraid to talk to her daughter because of where she was and that she was ashamed.

"Thanks, Amanda," Erica said as she yawned.

"You're welcome."

"Can you stay here until I fall asleep? I don't wanna be alone."

"Scoot over," Amanda said and got into the queen sized bed. She hoped that her sister would be willing to talk to her daughter. She really hoped that her sister would be overly nice to Erica, and that she'd be happy to talk to her.

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Well this chapter is about 1,000+ words more than usual. Hope everyone liked the rather long chapter!

Thank you so much to my reviewers and followers! You guys are amazing!


	10. Chapter 10

Erica woke up much later than usual. Ten in the morning was rather late for her. She sat up and stretched before going about her morning routine. She could hear Trevor and Michael talking downstairs rather loudly about something. She ignored it for the moment and focused on picking out an outfit. She felt bad about her behavior early that morning, and she desperately wished she could have taken it back. She grabbed a light pink dress and put on her white tights. She put in white ribbon in her hair, deciding on one braid for the day.

Erica went down the stairs and entered the living room. She saw Trevor sitting on the couch drinking a beer while Michael drank a coffee. "I'm sorry about everything that happened earlier," she apologized. She felt that it was important to do right away instead of being weird about it and ignoring them.

"Come sit over here, kid," Trevor said. Erica did as she was told and sat beside him on the couch. He had her in one of those half hugs, his arm snaking behind her back. "You have nothin' to be sorry for."

"But I was bad. And I broke a glass," she directed the last part to Michael, but then looked down at her feet.

"Yeah, well, we have more of those," Michael said. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you didn't cut yourself with it."

"I feel bad about it," Erica replied. The doorbell rang and Michael went up to go answer it, excusing himself.

"There's no need," Trevor said. "I get why you did it."

"Did your mommy forget to call you, too?" Erica questioned. He was silent for a long moment and she thought she asked the wrong question. Maybe his mother was worse and she shouldn't have been complaining. She hated when she felt bad for herself, as if she was more important than the starving children around the world who didn't have any parents; or at least this is what she told herself.

"She forgot to call a lot," he finally said.

"But you wouldn't forget to call me, right? And I wouldn't forget to call you," Erica smiled.

"Hey, kid, I'd never forget."

"Hey, T, Ed's here to pick you up," Michael said. Trevor took one last swig of his beer before putting it on the coffee table. He knelt in front of Erica who was still sitting on the couch. He hugged her, as if she was the only person who was deserving of his almost fatherly affections. He told her to stay strong and remember there were people who cared about her in San Andreas and to remember that she was stronger than most kids.

"Will I be seeing you this weekend with Tracey?" he asked her. Erica looked at Michael from the corner of her eye and she saw him nod reluctantly, obviously seeing the strange bond the two shared. There was no way he could keep her away from his psychotic friend who was somehow not insane when it came to kids.

"Yup!" Erica said happily. "I'll bring one of my new movies!"

"Sounds good, kid," Trevor said. He stood, saying goodbye to Michael before leaving through the front door.

"Thanks for letting me go with Tracey," Erica said to her uncle.

"The guy's crazy, but he's never been bad with you, Trace, or Jim," Michael explained. She hugged him before going into the kitchen where Amanda was. She was making one of her strange energy drinks. Erica had tried one before, but she had to admit it was disgusting. However, she figured it would be filling and made a mental note to remember how to make those when she went back to North Yankton so she got enough nutrition. She had been malnourished for most of her life and she knew it couldn't be good for her.

"Thanks for putting up with me last night," Erica said, standing by her aunt's side. Part of her wished Amanda was her real mother. She wondered why Tracey and Jimmy got to have her as a mom while she got stuck with hers.

"Sweetie, I wasn't putting up with you. There's no need to thank me," Amanda said and kissed the top of her head.

"I miss my mommy. Can I call her now?" Erica asked.

"Of course," Amanda said. "Let me find the number." Erica jumped up and down with joy, holding onto the counter. She picked up the phone and waited for Amanda to return from the other room. She couldn't wait to tell her mother about her new friends and how great her Christmas was. She pushed the idea out of her head that her mother wouldn't want to talk to her. Amanda returned, giving her the number and extension to her mother's room in the rehabilitation center.

Erica brought the phone and number up to her bedroom so that she could have some privacy. She dialed the number and waited for her mother to answer-one two, three, four rings later, and Erica's mother answered the phone with an annoyed hello. "Hi mommy! It's me, Erica." Her voice was filled with happiness, too much happiness, and if she ever looked back on this moment, she shouldn't have been so happy and kept her doubtful thoughts to prepare her for her mother's horrible personality that never changed. She had been to rehab two or three other times and it hadn't changed her personality when she was sober.

"Why didn't you call me yesterday?" her mother replied calmly, but the maliciousness in her voice was more than evident. "It was Christmas and you forgot to call your mother. What kind of child are you? You ungrateful shit."

"But…but you didn't call me either. I thought you were gonna call," Erica's voice faltered as she spoke. She didn't want to cry.

"Why would I do that? I'm in rehab. You're living in fucking Rockford Hills with your rich aunt and uncle. Didn't I do enough for you? Could have dumped you in another foster care family. But I didn't. And this is the thanks I get? You don't give me a call and wish me a Merry Christmas while I'm all alone here? Fuck you," she growled.

"I'm sorry," Erica said sadly. "I didn't think of it like that."

"Of course you wouldn't." Erica could imagine her mother's eyes narrowing as she spoke. "You're a stupid, stupid girl. You aren't even asking me how I'm doing."

"How are you?" Erica tried.

"Too late for that. Don't call again. I won't be accepting any calls from any ungrateful children." With those last words, before Erica could say anything to try and have a pleasant conversation, she heard the sound of a dial tone. She looked at herself in the mirror and looked at her nose, the same nose that she shared with her mother. It was really the only physical characteristic they shared, but it was enough to make Erica feel disgusted at the moment. Why was she even related to her? Why did she have to have her as a mother?

After that phone call, she didn't think that she could face Amanda. She looked somewhat similar to her mother and it was just too much for her to deal with at the moment. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see her mother's nose scrunched up in disgust at how selfish Erica had been at Christmas. She looked around the room and saw the toys, books, and movies she received. Did she really deserve them? Even if she did, did she think she could just accept them like that? She had to remind herself that Amanda and Michael weren't her real parents. Tracey wasn't a cool older sister. Jimmy wasn't the funny older brother. Erica felt she didn't belong as the baby sister of the family. Just look how old Tracey and Jimmy were! They were in their early twenties already while Erica wasn't even a full decade old yet. Amanda and Michael had already raised their kids and were almost done. Her stay in Los Santos was only temporary and that all of this would end in March when she'd get back on that plane and fly off to North Yankton.

Erica calmly grabbed her backpack and emptied it of her school things. She put her tablet in her backpack and a coloring book and crayons. She wasn't planning to run away, though. She'd be back at some point during the day. She wasn't sure if it would be in a few hours or ten hours, but she'd be back. She just needed to go for a really long walk to clear her head. The bathroom window was the easiest exit, so she left that way and was off, undetected by anyone in the household.

When Erica was claimed to be missing by Amanda, Tracey got there in time to stop her mother from falling down the stairs as she attempted to sprint down the steps in heels. Amanda explained that Erica's backpack was gone and she took her tablet and dumped out all of her school supplies on her bed. She sat on the couch with her mother while Michael had gone in the bedroom. When he came back downstairs, he claimed that she probably didn't run away because she didn't take any clothes with her and she left the charger to her tablet on the nightstand. Regardless of his discovery, he decided to call the police because he didn't think someone her age should be wandering around the city.

Michael had left in his car to go search for her even though he felt she'd turn up on her own eventually, and Amanda quickly left in her own car. This left Tracey and Jimmy. Tracey opted to go out and search because Jimmy was lazy and she felt he wouldn't search thoroughly enough. He had no problem sitting at home and waiting for Erica to turn up.

She had been searching for two hours when she felt that she was hungry. Tracey tried to ignore it for another hour as she drove around the city, but she had to stop and eat something, maybe stretch her legs. She began to get a faint headache, so she parked at the nearest Bean Machine. She got one of their overpriced salads and an ice coffee. She sat down and began eating as she looked at her phone. She responded to a few texts and ignored a few of them (the ones she ignored wanted her to go out and party all night and she honestly didn't really want to do that anymore). Just as she was about to check some of her social media accounts, a guy of about her age was standing in front of her table.

Tracey looked up and saw that he wore glasses. He was lean, but seemed to have muscles, and had light brown skin. He looked familiar to her, but she just couldn't place it. "Hi, Tracey," he said to her. Upon hearing his voice, she noticed that he had been in a sociology class with her. From what she remembered, he was rather introverted so she didn't really speak with him. She remembered she had borrowed a pen from him when hers ran out of ink and she didn't feel like digging through her bag in the middle of class to find one.

"Hey, Jaylen," she replied, thankful that she remembered his name. "You can sit down if you want."

"Thanks," he said before taking a seat across from her. He nervously drank whatever fancy named drink it was before speaking. "I'm surprised you remember me."

"Yeah, we were in sociology together. You let me borrow a pen once." He blushed when she mentioned this and she smiled, loving the effect she had on boys. It wasn't the first time someone of his type had a crush on her. In the past, she had been rude to people like him and she found herself regretting this. "So, what's your major?" Tracey asked. She knew she'd be the one who had to keep a conversation going.

"English. I want to be a writer," he explained.

"Oh, cool, like writing books?" she queried.

"That would be ideal," he smiled. "How about you? What's your major?"

"I switched over to social work like right after finals were over. Before I was undecided," she replied.

"What made you choose social work?"

"I originally wanted to sing and dance, you know, entertain," she started.

"You were really good on _Fame or Shame_," he pointed out.

"Thanks, but I don't think I really am. I mean, I got far in that competition for the wrong reasons. Anyway," she said before he could respond, "My cousin is staying with us for a few months and her life at home isn't really good. I feel bad for her because there wasn't anyone there for her at home. Like she asked for help I think, but the teachers and stuff ignored her."

"So you want to be the person that kids can go to? That's very admirable of you," he smiled.

"Thanks. Speaking of my cousin, I should go look for her. She snuck out of the house this morning."

"Did you know that snuck isn't actually a real word? Proper term is sneaked." This actually made her smile and she wondered when she appreciated nerd jokes; well, not jokes, more of corrections. But, still, she'd never thought she'd change this much six months ago.

"Okay, my nine year old cousin _sneaked_ out of the house. I have to go search for her."

"Oh, I didn't know she was that young!" Jaylen exclaimed. "How about I help you look. This city's pretty big."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," Tracey said. "She's short, wearing a pink dress, and has red hair."

"Got it," Jaylen nodded firmly. The blonde grabbed his hand and pulled him along towards her car. Jaylen seemed like a nice guy; he was the type that she never dated, but she figured flirting wouldn't hurt. After all, the fling with Edward really wasn't going to turn into anything considering he didn't want a committed relationship. He must have been sleeping with other girls, too. He was simply filling a void, and she did things with him because he was the first person to seriously confront her about her eating disorder. He was a great friend (also a great person to have benefits with). He seemed to lack the ability to have emotional attachment, or at least to her. He was rather similar to Trevor and had a bazaar relationship with his mother, meaning that his mother was awful to him, but he was super over protective of her. Edward was a lot smarter and calmer than Trevor, but he did seem to suffer from anger issues. Jaylen, on the other hand, seemed extremely level headed and wouldn't sleep with her just for fun. He seemed more like a compassionate person, someone who would only make love to a girl he really cared about. She shook these thoughts out of her head, concentrating on finding Erica.

Meanwhile, Erica made it to the pier by taking a taxi. Michael always had her carry a twenty with her for emergency money. She thought she was going to have to pay the cab driver, but he told her not to worry about it and that the ride was on him. He bought her story that she was meeting her friend and her family down at the pier and that her parents let her take a cab by herself. She shivered, wishing she took a heavier coat. Erica forced herself to toughen up and reminded herself about the winters in North Yankton.

Erica sat over on the beach when she found the stairs that led down to it. She opened up a Shakespeare play to read, deciding on the classic _Romeo and Juliet_, on her tablet. She never started this one from the very beginning considering she had read it multiple times. Instead, she read her favorite parts. This was cut short when a girl came over to her. "You lost?" a girl with light brown hair asked. She wore a hoodie that looked to be too big for her and black jeans.

"No, I'm not lost," Erica replied. The girl sat down next to her. She was older than Erica by a few years.

"Well, then, you shouldn't be here by yourself," the girl pointed out.

"Why shouldn't I?" Erica questioned her, cocking an eyebrow up.

"Because you're a kid," the other girl rolled her brown eyes, as if this was common knowledge. Erica had to admit that it was, but that didn't mean she shouldn't attempt to prove her wrong.

"So are you," she countered.

"No I'm not. I'm thirteen," she stated proudly. "What are you? Seven?"

"Nine," she corrected.

"I'm Ashley," she introduced herself. "And you are?"

"Erica."

"You a runaway?"

"No, just wanted time to myself. I'm living with four other people," Erica shrugged.

"Small house?"

"No, mansion. It's my aunt and uncle's place. I'm just here until my mommy gets out of rehab. After that, back to the trailer park I go," Erica explained to the girl.

"Understandable," Ashley nodded. She put her arms back behind her and leaned against them. She stretched her thin legs out in front of her, one foot overlapping the other. The beach was rather empty considering it was winter, but there were a few people scattered about. "What are you reading on that thing?"

"_Romeo and Juliet_."

"I think I have to read that this year in school," Ashley replied. "Totally not looking forward to it."

"It's really good. I like Shakespeare," she shrugged. "Do you read?"

"Yeah. But I prefer nonfiction. I like history."

"Really? I love the 1920s and stuff. But I usually read historical fiction."

"You should try some nonfiction."

"I'll keep that in mind," Erica smiled.

"So, are you into theater or something? Only the theater geeks like that kind of stuff. Shakespeare, I mean," Ashley said.

"No, I never gave theater much thought. But my aunt and uncle signed me up for theater starting in January. I don't know how I feel about that yet, though," Erica shrugged. She wasn't sure if she'd enjoy acting. She figured she'd probably get extremely nervous and throw up on stage before she delivered a decent performance.

"I don't know why, but you look like you'd be good at it. Can you sing?" Ashley questioned.

"I don't think so," Erica laughed. "But I know how to dance."

"That's okay. Dancing's harder than singing, I think. You can learn. Watch, you'll be really good at acting."

"Why do you think that? That's ridiculous," Erica giggled. She couldn't imagine herself being good at anything other than reading books, but what good was that? She wasn't even sure she could utilize that and write well. Besides, half the time she barely understood what she read when it came to certain books, such as Shakespeare. She usually had to reread it and look it up online to translate it. Why did she do this? Well, it was mainly to pass the time day after day when she lived with her mother.

"Maybe," Ashley sighed. "But you just look like when you're older, you'll be in movies. Like, you'd totally be a star."

"Yeah, okay," Erica said. "I don't even know what I wanna do yet."

"Me either. But we have a lot of time. Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure." Erica and Ashley walked the beach together, talking and laughing about various different topics. They were both similar and talked about how they were always the shortest people in the class and how they were always so skinny that they wore clothes for kids younger than them. Ashley mentioned that some girls already filled out and had large breasts whereas she was still flat chested for the most part. She claimed a double A cup size was nothing compared to some of the girls in her class. Erica pointed out that she'd probably be in the same boat when she was thirteen.

Eventually, the two made their way onto the pier. They walked around it until their stomachs growled. Ashley had suggested stealing some food. Erica considered it since she had done that before, but decided it was wrong since she had a twenty. She said this to Ashley who shrugged. Erica then said she'd pay for her. This way, they could eat inside somewhere and take their time. Ashley agreed and led Erica over to one of the restaurants nearby. They ordered a medium cheese pizza and happily ate it. Ashley told Erica about World War I since it was during the time period Erica seemed to enjoy. After that, they got some hot chocolate while continuing their stroll around the pier. When it hit four o'clock, Ashley decided that Erica should get home so her aunt and uncle didn't worry about her. Erica agreed, but reluctantly. She didn't want them to worry, but she didn't want to talk about her conversation with her mother, either.

They tried to get a cab, but to no avail. Erica realized she was lucky earlier with the driver who gave her a free ride. The other drivers wouldn't stop because they knew two girls couldn't afford to pay the fee. "So, where do you live?" Ashley asked.

"I'm staying in Rockford Hills," Erica replied.

"Wow," Ashley said. "You got lucky."

"For the first time in my life," Erica said.

From the pier, the two walked to a bus stop. Ashley eventually found one when she got her bearings. Next, they got off the bus and had to walk the rest of the way. Of course, a bus didn't go to Rockford Hills because who in Rockford Hills needed to take a bus? So, they walked for about an hour until they finally made it. Ashley admitted that she didn't know this area well, so Erica had to try and find the house she was staying in. They wandered around for quite a bit until Erica recognized the mansion. She invited Ashley to follow her, and the other girl was hesitant at first, but came with her. When Erica entered the house, she saw Ashley have that look of awe that Erica had when she first arrived.

"Hello?" Erica called.

"Erica?" It was Tracey's voice. The blonde rushed down from her bedroom and hugged her cousin. "Never, ever do that again," she scolded. "You had us worried, like, a lot!"

"Sorry," Erica gave her a small smile. "I didn't mean to."

"I know," Tracey sighed. She quickly texted her parents and Jimmy to tell them Erica came home since they were out looking for her.

"Where is everyone?"

"Out looking for you. We've been at it all day."

"This is Ashley," Erica said, changing the subject. "I've been hanging out with her. We met on the beach. Ashley, this is Tracey." Tracey obviously opted not to ask how Erica managed to get all the way to the other side of Los Santos. Tracey heated up some dinner for the two girls since it was seven thirty in the evening. They ate, Ashley being rather thankful for the free meal. By the time the two girls were done, Amanda and Michael arrived back home. Tracey explained to Michael how Ashley had taken responsibility and watched her the entire day, making sure she got home. Michael noted that she had been really good with Erica considering the circumstances. The thirteen year old was shocked when he handed her one hundred dollars in cash for bringing his niece home safely. Her eyes went wide at the money due to the fact she didn't really have too much. He noticed this and offered Ashley a job as a baby sitter for Sundays. He promised to pay her fifteen an hour to watch Erica while he and Amanda went out. Ashley's jaw dropped at the opportunity and immediately took it.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me, even if it's only until March," Ashley replied.

"Hey, you did a good deed. Even after March, I'm sure I could find some kinda work for you around here. You're a good kid," Michael said to her earnestly.

Meanwhile, Amanda rushed over to Erica with tears in her eyes. She had fallen onto her knees and pulled Erica into a hug.

"Please never, ever do that again," Amanda whispered. It was strange to see an adult crying like that and Erica immediately felt horrible. She hadn't intended for her to be so upset. She didn't think the entire family would spend the day looking for her in Los Santos.

"I'm sorry," Erica replied. "I was just sad. My mommy wasn't very nice to me on the phone and I just had to get out of the house and clear my head. But I won't do that again."

"I had my suspicions. I'm so sorry, Erica. I really, really am. I wish I could change her for you."

"But you can't. And that's okay," Erica smiled. "Because I have you. Before you and everyone else here, nobody cared if I went for walks by myself or if I wasn't home. It's kind of nice to have someone really care about me. But I'm still getting used to it."

"I love you so much, Erica," Amanda said. It was Erica's turn to cry. She responded with an _I love you, too_ before admitting that nobody ever said that to her in her entire life. Afterwards, Tracey gave Ashley a ride home while Erica was brought upstairs to bed. Erica sat up in bed and explained the fun she had during the day. Although she worried all day, Amanda couldn't help but smile at how happy Erica was.

Eventually, Amanda left the room after giving her a kiss on the forehead goodnight. Erica didn't want to go to bed yet, but she complied due to the fact that she figured she caused enough trouble. The red head's doubts about herself that her mother put in her head vanished the moment Amanda said that she loved her. All of this was still new to her but extremely welcomed. She promised herself that she'd never go for walks by herself again. She loved her aunt and she really didn't want to make her cry.

When her bedroom door opened, Erica flopped down underneath the covers to feign sleep. "Erica, I know you're awake. I used to pretend to sleep myself." Erica could see the smile on Tracey's face before she sat up.

"You caught me!" Erica exclaimed jokingly. "What do you have behind your back?"

"Oh, just this," Tracey said, producing a teddy bear who had seen better days, but was in fairly good condition. It was pink with a large brown nose and a smile.

"A teddy bear?" Erica asked, confused.

"I got him when I was like four. Anyway, this guy used to help me get through a lot when we used to live in North Yankton. And when we had to move here and change our last names and everything," Tracey explained. "I want you to have him. I realized I don't really need it anymore," she shrugged. "You need him more than I do." She handed her the teddy bear. Erica didn't really know what to do with it, so she held it on her lap.

"Thanks, Tracey," she smiled.

"You're welcome."

"Are we going to Trevor's on Saturday?" Erica asked.

"Yeah. And next week if you want, I'll take you and a friend out and we'll get our nails done or something."

"Really?" Erica beamed.

"Yup! We'll do whatever you want. Now, go to bed," Tracey said. "Good night." Tracey closed the door softly. Erica held the teddy bear and hugged it. She wasn't entirely sure what one did with a teddy bear, but she ended up falling asleep with it in her arms.

* * *

Thanks to BasaFILLET for the character Jayden and Penz19 for Ashley! Also, thanks to everyone who reads and of course a big thanks to my reviewers! I love all of these awesome reviews!

I'd also like to mention that I am going away on vacation. Therefore, I will not be able to update for about two weeks. I will definitely plan out all the chapters and everything while on vacation so I can deliver chapters to you guys very quickly when I get back. I hope to finish this story before August 28th when I go back to school! Hopefully this long chapter will make up for lack of updates while I'm away :)


	11. Chapter 11

Tracey and Erica met Trevor and Edward for brunch on one of the last few days of Erica's winter break. The four sat in a booth in one of the finer diners in Los Santos since Trevor decided he didn't want the two girls anywhere near the Vanilla Unicorn area where he and Edward would usually get something to eat. The red head wore her hair in pigtails with light blue ribbons. Amanda thought she looked cute with pigtails and Erica had humored her and let her do her hair. She was more than capable of doing her hair herself but she did enjoy the quick ten minute bonding time. She also let Tracey pick out her outfit, which was a light gray dress with a blue sweater to match her hair ribbons.

Erica sat beside Trevor on the inside of the booth and had her head resting on his left arm as he spoke about his days in the Air Force. He seemed to be really passionate about flying airplanes and he really boasted about how he was one of the best pilots they had. Edward mentioned how he was also in the Air Force and he, too, was one of the better pilots. Erica never saw Edward with so much joy in his eyes and he grinned genuinely, but he didn't have the same kind of enthusiasm Trevor possessed. "But then they decided we weren't good enough," Edward said after a while. He took his drink and began to swirl it around. The atmosphere completely changed at the table. Erica looked up at Trevor to see a forlorn look on his face.

"What happened?" she dared to ask in a soft voice. Trevor just grunted while Edward provided a response.

"They thought we were mentally unstable."

"The Air Force evaluates their mental stability. If you fail the test, you're out," Tracey explained.

"But you guys are the most loyal people ever," Erica said while she somehow maneuvered herself so that she was leaning up against Trevor's torso and his arm was wrapped around her.

"Thanks, kid. Everything turned out all right in the end, though," Edward responded. "If I was in the Air Force, I wouldn't be here with you wonderful people."

"It's not so bad," Tracey shrugged. "I mean, you guys still fly planes."

"True. Just add illegal weapons and meth to the mix. Much more exciting, don't you think, Trev?" The younger man looked at his angered mentor. He absolutely hated thinking about those last few days before he was kicked out. Despite his so called mental instability, Erica could sense that Edward was more stable than Trevor. She wished she could take that question back, those two stupid words that could have been prevented if she hadn't been so curious.

"Yeah," Trevor finally said. He hugged Erica closer to his side momentarily. He seemed to keep his anger at bay around her and Tracey. Erica knew this because she had once walked in on Trevor lashing out at a boy with multiple piercings named Wade; the moment she walked into the room and he noticed her, Trevor stopped himself from punching Wade's face. It was strange how he had some kind of control while she was present. Tracey explained that he was a bit better with his anger and controlling his impulses when she started going every weekend to clean up his trailer. "What are you kids up to today?"

"We're picking up one of Erica's friends and going to the movies and then we're getting our nails done," Tracey responded.

"What color are you girls gonna get? Zebra pink?"

"Trevor, there's no such thing as zebra pink!" Erica laughed. "But I will be getting pink."

"Why not neon green?"

"Because that's just not classy," Erica said scrunching her nose. The adults laughed and Erica wished they knew why they laughed when she hadn't said anything funny.

After brunch, Tracey and Erica went to go pick up Dinusha. She lived in a fairly good sized house with a very nice yard. There was a garden in the front of it that looked well kept. Erica got out of the car to go knock on the door. A man answered it and introduced himself as Dinusha's older brother. Erica wasn't expecting Tracey to get out of the car and walk up to the door. "Jaylen?" Obviously she wasn't shy because if this wasn't Jaylen, it would be rather embarrassing, or so Erica thought.

"Tracey? What are you doing here?" he asked her, just as confused.

"Erica's my cousin. We're here to pick up Dinusha," she explained.

"Well that's something," he smiled. "I'm Dinusha's brother."

"Oh my God, you should totally come with us today!" Tracey exclaimed.

"Really?" he smiled. Erica thought he was too happy to join the girls, but she relented. He seemed to have a crush on her older cousin because he blushed when Tracey took his hand in hers.

"I mean, it would be great to have someone not under the age of ten," she joked. "I'll just skip getting my nails done. Me and you can walk around the mall instead while they get their manis and pedis. I can get mine another day."

"Well, if you insist…"

"I do!" she interrupted him quickly.

"Sure! Let me go get Dinusha."

"Okay, we'll wait in the car," Tracey said. Erica followed her back to the car and sat in the seat behind Tracey.

"You like him," Erica grinned. The blonde used the rear view mirror to look at the girl.

"So what if I do?" she challenged. "You don't see me reacting to the fact that you like Jason."

"Jason's just my friend," Erica shot back. "I don't get _that_ excited." The younger girl crossed her arms. Before Tracey could retort, Jaylen and Dinusha approached the car and got in. The girls greeted each other and then gave each other a knowing smirk when they saw the other two up front interacting with one another. When Tracey commented on their quietness, they immediately jumped into a random conversation. However, it was hushed and the two in the front couldn't possibly hear their quiet talking.

"I've been wanting to see _Frozen_ for a while, but Jaylen wouldn't take me to see it. But when Tracey mentions it, he doesn't care and says yes!" Dinusha said.

"Yeah, well, Tracey isn't exactly subtle when she likes someone."

"Definitely an extrovert," Dinusha replied. "Funny because my brother is such an introvert."

"What does that mean?" Erica questioned.

"Extrovert means you go out a lot and talk to a lot of people and an introvert is when you sit at home and don't really talk to other people," she explained. "My sister takes quizzes in magazines all the time and that was one of the ones she made me take. I'm an introvert."

"Oh," Erica nodded. "I probably am, too."

"I wonder what we'll be like when we're teenagers," Dinusha pondered.

"I hope I grow," Erica said. She hated being one of the shortest kids in the class. She wished she was taller than the boys her age like all of the other girls. Instead, she was as tall, if not a little shorter, than boys her own age. She hoped she'd be as tall as Tracey and Amanda and be a normal height. She was afraid she'd be tiny the rest of her life and she wasn't a fan of that.

"I hope not! I like you small," Dinusha giggled as she pat the shorter girl on the head. Erica jokingly pouted with her lower lip protruding and crossing her arms. Before they knew it, they arrived at the mall. Dinusha was much more excited for this movie than Erica was. The girl seemed to really enjoy her Disney movies. The four made their way into the theater.

Erica had to admit, she absolutely loved the entire movie from beginning to end. She and her friend were so happy afterwards that when they got their nails done, Dinusha got purple while Erica got blue nail polish to represent their favorite characters in the movie. Erica decided that blue and purple could be classy just like pink as long as they were the right shades, of course.

Meanwhile, Amanda dialed the number of her sister's room in the rehabilitation center. Every time she called so far, her sister had hung up on her without saying a word. This time, however, was different when her sister answered the phone rudely. The purpose of calling her was to confront her about how she didn't bother to call Erica on Christmas and why she wasn't particularly nice to her when Erica decided to call her the next day. Amanda was rather angry at her and she wasn't entirely sure how this conversation would go. She knew she wouldn't change her sister's mind with one phone call, but perhaps she could get through to her. "I just want to talk."

"What part of me hanging up every time you call don't you understand?" her sister growled.

"It got you to answer, didn't it?" Amanda replied.

"Fine. What could you possibly want?" she questioned.

"I want to know what happened to my sweet little sister. What happened to Lizzy?" Amanda didn't mean to start out the conversation like this, but it had to be said.

"Lizzy died the day you abandoned me," her sister spat.

"You were never like this. You were quiet and you were the nicest little girl."

"Yeah, well, you went off frolicking with the pimps and slid down the poles, Mandy," she retorted.

"I will admit I made mistakes back then. I shouldn't have run away like that, or at least I shouldn't have without you. But I did."

"We were inseparable, Mandy. Remember? We'd always fucking play together and I looked up to you! Remember those dreams we had? We were going to go to college and make something of ourselves. We had plans that you ruined when you were seventeen!" Elizabeth yelled into the phone, making Amanda hold the phone at arm's length for the moment, still able to hear her sister's voice clearly. "We used to talk about how you'd be a writer and I'd be your editor." She seemed to have calmed down, her voice shaking with sadness. "It's like one day you were there, and then the next you weren't."

"You can't blame me for how things turned out," Amanda explained. "You could have gone to college and-"

"Oh, don't give me that crap," Elizabeth replied. "I was fourteen, like, one of those horrible ages where if someone offered you drugs when your sister left in the middle of the night without telling you, you'd take them!"

"I left because mom and dad weren't going to let me go to college, okay? I couldn't tell you that we'd be stuck there for the rest of our lives," Amanda said as she forced her tears to stay back. She was not going to cry, or so she told herself. "My plan was to make money for the both of us. I did it the only way I really knew how."

"You never came back, you fuckin' liar!" Elizabeth yelled.

"Because I thought I didn't need college with the money I made! And then I met Michael a few years later, and then I got pregnant. I couldn't go back, Lizzy. At that point it was just too late."

"It was never too late. Do you have any idea how many abortions I've had? You can do it yourself if you really want to. Believe me, I know. You could have had one. You could have come home," Elizabeth said furiously.

"She may not have been planned, but I love my daughter. I wouldn't change anything; I have no regrets about what I did. But I wish I could say the same for you. You treat your daughter worse than mom and dad treated us. You just kept that trailer park trash cycle going," Amanda's eyes narrowed even though she knew her sister couldn't see her.

"Erica's a trouble making ungrateful little brat!" Elizabeth shrieked. "I didn't even want her! She wasn't supposed to be born."

"When I got pregnant, I didn't really want a baby. But as time went on, I wanted her more than anything. And then when she was born, I loved her and promised her that she'd have a better life than I did. What did you say to Erica when she was born?" The silence on the other line lasted for two whole minutes. Amanda knew she was still there because of her breathing.

"I don't remember. I probably didn't even say anything."

"Why don't you love her, Lizzy?"

"Because she's just like me when I was a kid." Her voice was a whisper and Amanda was shocked she even heard what she just said. She thought about how her sister had been this quiet, timid little thing. However, she was rather proper when she was around other people, just like Erica had been. She was rather awkward and always reading any book she could get her hands on. She used to be frighteningly similar to Erica, and Amanda wondered how she never really picked up on this. The red head was recently coming out of her shell; she no longer flinched or freaked out when someone touched her. Elizabeth used to scream when another person (except Amanda) gave her any kind of bodily contact because she was terrified that the person would harm her. Was this why she was drawn to her niece? Was this why she felt that she was obligated to help her because she had failed little Lizzy? "I can never love that girl, Mandy. That's why you called, isn't it? You wanted me to somehow care about her. Well, I can't. It won't happen. She can't have a better life than I did. It has to be just a little bit worse."

"Parents are supposed to want their kids to have better lives," Amanda said, at loss for words.

"Like you said before, it's a trailer park trash cycle. And you know what? I'm going to keep it going." Elizabeth hung up the phone followed by Amanda. It had been a shocking call. The entire conversation swirled in her head, parts of it echoing. Flashbacks of herself and her sister as little girls wearing worn dresses outside hiding from their mother in the cold winters of North Yankton wouldn't go away.

"Amanda!" she heard someone call her name. She sat up on her bed, just realizing that she had been lying down. "Amanda!" Erica exclaimed and jumped up onto the bed. "Look at my nails!" The girl held out her hands for her to see. Even though Erica's eyes and hair were a different color, she could see Lizzy at that age grinning at her after she showed off that she could do a cartwheel.

"They're very pretty," Amanda managed to say.

"Why are you crying?" Erica asked. She knelt down beside her on the bed and wiped a tear off her cheek.

"I'm crying?" Amanda queried. She touched her eyes and felt that they were wet with shed tears. She wondered when she had started crying because she didn't remember. She laid back down on the bed against her pillows in confusion. Erica carefully laid down next to her and put an arm across her stomach in an attempt to hug her.

"Don't be sad," Erica said as she cuddled up closer.

"I'm not sad," Amanda said as she took her free arm that wasn't being used as Erica's pillow and began to play with her pigtails. She wasn't sure when Erica fell asleep, but she remained there and refused to get up and disturb her.

* * *

Thanks everyone! Obviously I'm back and had a great vacation. You can now expect frequent updates for this story. I have a total of 11 more chapters planned plus an epilogue, so we have a ways to go!


	12. Chapter 12

Erica really didn't want to be there at the theater. She didn't want to act, nor did she want to waste her time memorizing lines and dances. She only didn't put up a fight when Michael dropped her off because she didn't want to upset the people she was staying with by being uncooperative. Instead, she figured that she would not do what she was told and would be kicked out of the acting classes. She'd much rather read a book or go to Franklin's to keep Jason company while his brother was doing whatever it was that he and Franklin did.

She stood in line with the other kids her age. The teacher had them line up based on their height. Erica hated that she was towards the end and surrounded by boys who hadn't had a growth spurt yet. "Hello everyone; let me introduce myself. I'm Jake Houston, but you kids just call me Jake. I am going to teach you kids how to dance, sing, and act. We will be working very hard on the production of the _Wizard of Oz_. Now, you kids won't be getting any lead roles since you're all beginners. You will be Munchkins or flying monkeys."

Erica studied Jake as he spoke. He seemed to be a few years younger than Michael. His hair was cut into a buzz cut and he seemed a bit shorter than most men. His brown eyes focused on the children as he spoke about acting and boasted about the theater. He was dressed well in an all-black suit and a blue shirt underneath it. He wasn't at all what Erica expected. "Some of you may be familiar with Miss Spatz, the new music teacher at Los Santos Elementary. She comes and provides the music," Jake gestured to the brunette sitting at the piano bench. "Now, we are going to get right to it because the play is close to the end of March and we desperately need those Munchkins and monkeys! Now, we are going to focus on all three things today- singing, dancing, and acting. Usually we will be focusing on one of the three each time we meet," Jake explained.

The first thing they were going to do was dance. The boys and girls were paired off with one another. Some of the boys didn't want to be near the girls, and vice versa. However, there were some that were rather serious and remained quiet. Erica was paired with a boy who was taller than her, and she realized that being short had an advantage- she didn't look silly like most of the boys and girls did with the girls being a head taller than the boys. They learned how to do a simple partner dance and Erica found that the boy she was with was well disciplined and was one of the few that took it seriously. "I'm Josh," he finally said. "Listen, if you're gonna be my partner, you better take this seriously. I finally got my parents to sign me up for this. I want to be an actor," he declared as they moved fluidly. "Who are you?"

"Erica," she replied. She then realized he was leading her in a dance that the other kids weren't doing. It was much more complicated, but she kept up with him and let him lead her around the room.

"You don't talk much," he commented. Erica simply shrugged before the music stopped.

"Erica and Josh, you need to follow instructions. However, that was very good, you two. Some real talent over here," Jake said before he addressed the rest of the class. The next activity was acting, and when it was her turn, Erica just stood there and said absolutely nothing. At first, Jake was nice about it thinking that she had stage fright. But when he saw the defiant look in her eyes, he realized she was trouble. She refused to sing and she ignored the dirty looks Josh gave her. "Erica, you need to cooperate," Jake tried.

"I don't have to and I really don't want to," she said, crossing her arms. Frustrated, Jake had Melanie watch the rest of the class as he walked Erica down to the head of the theater school. She waited outside the office for a moment before she was led inside. Jake bid farewell and went back to the rest of the class. A woman with bleach blonde hair sat at her desk.

"Erica, please, have a seat," she said. Erica sat down across from her and instantly became nervous. She looked into shocking blue eyes, much brighter than her own, and swallowed hard. Maybe getting herself into trouble wasn't such a good idea, after all. "I'm Margarita Malakhovskii. I heard you weren't being very cooperative with Jake," she explained.

"No, I wasn't," Erica pressed her lips together. She closed her eyes for about five seconds and regained her composure. Suddenly, she wasn't so afraid anymore of her. Margarita was being rather nice to her despite the circumstances.

"I know why you're here. Melanie tells me that your aunt and uncle signed you up so you can learn some discipline, correct?"

"Yes," Erica nodded. "I get in trouble at school a lot."

"I see you brought the trouble with you, huh?" she smiled. "I know you don't want to be here. It's very obvious since you were talking back to Jake. Why don't you want to be here?"

"I don't think I need to be," Erica shrugged. She looked down at her lap and swung her legs back and forth childishly.

"And why is that?" Margarita encouraged.

"Because I can take care of myself. I mean, it's nice to have Amanda and Michael, I mean, my aunt and uncle, there for me so I don't have to worry when the next time I'll eat or do my own laundry or anything like that. But I know how to do all the things they do. I've always looked after myself. Even in school. I always read in class at my other school and the teachers never said anything to me," Erica explained to Margarita. She realized she had somehow tricked her into saying this; as much as Erica wanted to be an adult sometimes, she was still only nine and fell for reverse psychology. Instead of being mean to her and accusing her of misbehaving, Margarita was being nice and forgiving.

"Is it tough back at home with your parents?"

"I only live with my mommy and her boyfriend. But yeah, I learned to take care of myself."

"I understand where you're coming from, Erica."

"You do?"

"You're extremely independent for your age. You don't like others telling you what to do, and honestly, that is all theater is- people telling you what to do," Margarita explained.

"I don't think I like that," Erica scrunched up her nose.

"I know you don't. But, think about what you did with Josh today when you were dancing. You two decided to do your own thing, and it ended up being a great dance. You can take orders, sure, you two were supposed to dance, but you two went off and made it better than what it was. In the theater, you can do this. Make every production your own. I like you, Erica, you're not afraid to go off and do your own thing. We need much more of that here. The theater doesn't need another sheep. I bet if you work hard at this, you can be very good. I don't say that to everyone you know. You're special."

"You think I can be a good actress? I don't know about that," Erica replied. "I know I can dance, but I can't sing or act."

"Sing something for me."

"I can't," Erica blushed. "That's too embarrassing."

"It's just me and you in here," Margarita encouraged. "Go for it. Do it." And she did. Erica stood up and sang a song she heard Michael singing to her the other night when he thought she was sleeping. If she told anyone that, he'd never live it down. His singing voice wasn't great, but it was comforting and she secretly enjoyed it.

"Let me tell you the truth. You sang in tune, which is good. Not everyone can do that. However, you were singing from your throat," Margarita explained and stood up to her full height of six feet one inch. She put her hand on Erica's stomach. "You need to learn to sing from here. There definitely is potential for you. I trust Jake when he says that you did a great job dancing earlier. He's very picky about that," she smiled.

"I don't know if I want to do this," Erica replied. "I mean, I'm going back to North Yankton after the play, so what's the point? I'll never be able to do this again."

"Erica, you need to live in the moment." Margarita knelt down in front of her. "I understand that it's very difficult back at home. But for right now, live a little and take the opportunities you get because you never know if it'll help you in the future."

"Do you really think I have potential? Like will I be good enough to make Amanda and Michael be proud of me?"

"I'm sure they're proud of you no matter what you choose. But you will get to perform for them on stage if you stay. I think with all of those pent up emotions, you could definitely use those when you act. It's all about emotion!"

"If I stay, what do I get out of it?"

"Miss Erica, I am going to give you private acting lessons myself," Margarita decided. She saw a lot of potential in her dancing. If it turned out the girl couldn't act or sing, she'd transfer her to the dancing lessons in the theater school where she'd become a dancer rather than an actress. However, if she learned how to sing from her diaphragm rather than her throat, then she'd have a great singing voice. Plus, Melanie had told Margarita that she caught Erica reading Shakespeare in music class multiple times. This child, she thought, was something different. If she could bring out this girl's full potential, it would definitely help her self-esteem which was most likely rather low considering she had it hard at home. "And you'll meet with Melanie to learn how to sing properly. I feel like if you took this seriously, you could go far."

"You really think so?" Erica asked excitedly.

"There's something special about you," Margarita replied. Erica had a feeling she was lying about this, but she just nodded and smiled. She wondered if this would be good for her, though. Perhaps if she went home with some kind of talent, her mother would realize her daughter was something special, just like Margarita said. Smiling, Erica agreed to the private lessons with Margarita as well as private singing lessons with Miss Spatz. It wouldn't be easy, she knew, but maybe her mother would finally be proud of her when she heard that Erica had potential.

After her theater class was over, Erica excitedly told Michael about how she was going to get private lessons from the owner of the theater school. She explained to him how she was a really good dancer with natural talent. She was going to learn how to sing and act, too, making her a triple threat. He smiled as she talked the entire ride home. She did this to give him the satisfaction because he signed her up for this. It made her feel good to make him feel important. "That's great to hear," he finally replied when there was a window for him to talk. "I'm glad you're finally excited about this. It'll be good for you."

"And why's that?" she smirked, expecting an answer such as that it would make her behave in school and give her discipline.

"It'll give you something to work hard at."

"I hope I really do like it and I'm not just excited about this for nothing."

"If you don't end up liking it, you don't have to do it. We can find something else for you later."

"Thanks, Michael. But I don't think I'm going to quit, even if I hate it. I'm going to do the best I can."

"Why the sudden change in attitude?" he chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Because my mommy will finally be proud of me," Erica said as she looked out the window.

* * *

Thanks to Ghost132 for submitting Margarita Malakhovskii and Nameless Guy Number 69 for submitting Jake Houston!

And as always, thank you everyone for your kind reviews.


	13. Chapter 13

Tracey could see that Trevor felt like a family man as he drove them up through the narrow roads and trails around Mount Chiliad. She sat in the passenger's seat beside him while Erica sat behind Trevor and Edward was behind her. Edward was pointing out animals to her and she smiled in delight, especially when they came across deer. Meanwhile, Tracey and Trevor were talking quietly. Well, he wasn't particularly quiet, but she was glad that Edward was keeping Erica busy so she wouldn't hear their conversation. She was saying how she thought she was getting better in regards to her throwing up everything she ate. She refused to call herself bulimic despite that being the obvious truth. However, Trevor had noticed her slip up after breakfast that particular morning before they set out for their drive up the mountain.

"I don't want you doin' that shit, Tracey. It's fucking bad. Some kids don't get to eat every day, like your cousin over there," he said, motioning towards Erica who was completely oblivious.

"I know, let's just drop it, okay? You aren't helping," Tracey grumbled and looked out the window.

"At least I'm acknowledging it and not fuckin' ignoring it," he said in a low voice, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"It's not a big deal. Let's talk about something else."

"I don't wanna talk about something else!"

"Oh my God!" Tracey said and dramatically put her head against the window. Before Trevor could say anything, the tires on the car suddenly blew out.

"Fuck!" Trevor swore as the car skidded to a stop. He put it in park and turned it off. He got out of the car to go check it out. Everyone was silent, noticing that Trevor was obviously in a bad mood. When he didn't come back in the car, Edward volunteered to go see what was going on. Eventually Tracey and Erica also got out of the car when it was obvious they were stuck on the mountain.

"How'd you manage to drive through spikes?" Edward asked in an annoyed tone.

"Who would even think there'd be spikes out here?" Trevor grunted and followed it up with more curses.

"What do we do?" Erica queried. Tracey gave her a look to keep her mouth shut, and the girl understood. The three adults were arguing about what to do. Tracey felt that they should call someone, such as the police, so that they could get a ride back. Edward thought that they could just call a friend to come get them. Trevor figured they could all just walk back on the trail and be perfectly fine. All of these options would take hours, except Trevor's, which Tracey argued would take days. Suddenly, Erica let out a terrified scream; this wasn't the scream she used to get people away from her. Tracey instantly looked to see that a man grabbed her and was running away with her. Without even thinking, Tracey rushed over towards them and tackled the man, pure adrenaline running towards her. Another man grabbed her and she screamed and kicked. Two gunshots were heard and the two men dropped dead, bullet holes in their heads.

Erica rushed into Tracey's arms, hugging her tightly. The blonde returned it and managed to pick her up and rush towards Edward and Trevor who were also coming towards them. Tears streamed down Tracey's cheeks. She made sure to keep a tight hold on Erica, refusing to let the girl's feet touch the ground. "You girls are all right," Trevor said to them. "Nobody's getting you on my watch."

"Who the fuck were those guys?" Edward questioned.

"Altruists, looks to me," Trevor replied.

"How do you know?"

"They aren't wearing any pants," Trevor replied seriously, but the two had a shared smile of amusement at this.

More altruists came out from behind the trees. They were generally all men and each carried a gun. One of them mentioned that they want the girl for her young blood and they said they'd take the pretty girl, too. Tracey stood behind Edward and Trevor who faced them, shouting threats at the men who wore no pants. Erica refused to look up and kept her head buried in Tracey's shoulder. The Altruists were trying to negotiate with Trevor and Edward to give them up for a large amount of money. "Give me the kid," Trevor whispered to her. "But discretely. Don't let 'em notice." Tracey nodded in agreement despite not particularly wanting to. Trevor made sure he had a good grip on Erica. "Now, when I say go, you run. But stay in front of me. Edward's gonna hold them off when I get you guys to the car. Got it?" Tracey nodded quickly in response.

When Trevor told her to go, she ran as fast as she possibly could towards the car. Her heart was racing and she could feel the blood pumping through her arteries, blood draining back to her heart through her veins. When she got to the car, she opened the rear door as fast as she possibly could and dove in. Trevor had to pry Erica's fingers off of his shirt as he placed her in the car. There wasn't time to reassure her as he slammed the door shut, making sure that the car was locked. He opened the trunk and tossed two armor vests to Tracey and Erica, yelling at them over the gun shots to put them on. Tracey put one on Erica first before tending to herself. The two girls stayed hidden on the floor of the car. Erica huddled up as close as she possibly could to her older cousin.

While they were in the car, Edward and Trevor were facing about forty armed Altruists. Erica covered her ears as some stray bullets hit the car. Tracey was glad they were on the floor so they couldn't really see anything. She jumped when a bullet shot through the glass of the car, followed by a scream.

"Tracey, we have to get out of the car," Erica yelled over the chaos.

"That doesn't seem like such a good idea," Tracey said back.

"It's smoking! It's gonna explode soon!" Just as Erica said this, an Altruist managed to open the car door on Tracey's side and stabbed her thigh with a knife. She screamed out in pain while Erica opened up the door on the other side. The red head ran behind the cult member and ran a knife across his Achilles tendon. It was a good enough distraction for the blonde to painfully scoot out the other end. She went to take out the knife that was hurting her terribly. "Don't do that!" she yelled. "Leave it in!"

"What? Erica, it hurts. I have to take it out," Tracey cried. She was leaning against the car as it was rather difficult to stand.

"You'll bleed a lot if you pull that out," Erica said to her. "We have to get away from here." She tugged on Tracey's arm forcefully, making her move behind her. Tracey kept a hand on the knife to steady it so it wouldn't hurt so much. She cried every time she took a step. She noticed that Erica had her backpack in one hand as she ran towards somewhere. Tracey had no idea how Erica was even moving in that armor since it probably weighed fifteen pounds.

Suddenly, Erica tripped and fell when a bullet shot her in the back. She laid there until Tracey sucked up her pain and pulled her up to her feet. The armor had saved her, and Erica didn't think there was any blood since the bullet hadn't penetrated through the vest she was wearing. The Altruists were too busy trying to stay alive as Trevor and Edward expertly obliterated them. When Tracey looked over her shoulder, she saw Edward throw a grenade at a group of five cult members. She turned her head away quickly, to avoid watching the bloodshed.

Her left thigh was pounding. It hurt so much to move. She fell to the ground multiple times. She couldn't believe a nine year old kept yelling at her as if she were a drill sergeant talking to a private in order for Tracey to get back onto her feet. "We have to run faster," Erica said to her. "We have to get away." She put her backpack on and used the straps to buckle it around her waist.

"I can't go any faster," Tracey cried.

"You're going to have to."

"I have to take the knife out," Tracey said to her. "It hurts too much."

"It's either that or you'll bleed a lot," Erica replied. The girl just ran off, and Tracey had no choice but to run after her and ignore the pain in her leg. She couldn't let Erica out of her sight. She didn't trust this cult. What if they were being followed?

Finally, Erica stopped. She somehow came across a clearing where there was a very small stream of water flowing. It wasn't exactly a cave, but there was an indent in what seemed to be a large rock. She gestured for Tracey to lay down beside the rock. She did so willingly. The pain in her thigh returned and she cried out, making Erica jump in surprise. "Tracey! Erica!" The two heard their names. Erica got up from her spot and rushed towards Edward who had seemed to have seen which direction they ran from.

"We're over here!" Erica said. Edward ran over to her. "Tracey was stabbed."

"Did she take the knife out?"

"No, I told her to leave it there," Erica replied.

"Good job," he told her before following her over to where Tracey was sitting. He knelt beside her and inspected it. He began to take out some first aid supplies from multiple pockets in his jacket. Tracey didn't really pay too much attention as to what he was doing until he told her he was going to take out the knife. She was relieved, but shocked at the excruciating pain. She screamed out in pain and dug her nails into the dirt. He pulled her pants down so that he could tend to the wound. Her eyes went wide when she noticed a small bottle of alcohol to clean it. She had never been in so much pain in her life; she wasn't entirely sure which was worse- the alcohol, taking the knife out, or actually being stabbed. "It's all right, Trace. The worse is over," he said as he added immediate pressure to her leg. He took the bandages and wrapped it around her leg tight enough to slow down the bleeding. "It wasn't as deep as it looked. You'll be fine." Tracey wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but she remembered waking up briefly when Trevor picked her up and placed her in a car.

"Mr. and Mrs. De Santa? Your daughter is doing just fine. She had a few stitches and there's no infection from the wound. Your niece is perfectly fine. It's a good thing she was wearing that vest. There was only a bruise left by the bullet. It'll be sore for a couple days, but she'll be fine. There have been a few cases involving children and young women lately as a result of that Altruist cult. I advise you to stay off the mountain until they are apprehended," the nurse explained. Amanda sighed in relief and wiped away her last tear. Tracey and Erica were perfectly fine. Just then, another nurse had led Erica to the waiting room where she immediately ran up to her aunt. Amanda hugged her tightly as Michael thanked both nurses.

"Where's Tracey?" Amanda questioned.

"The doctor's almost done with her. She should be out in a few minutes," he answered. Amanda took a seat, Michael following suit. Erica climbed up onto his lap and rested her head against his chest. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'm just tired. This wasn't the first shoot out I've been in," she replied.

"Did it happen in North Yankton?" Amanda asked.

"Where else would it have been? My mom's boyfriend would sometimes take me places and half the time stuff like that would happen. It only would happen when my mommy wasn't there. If she was there, she wouldn't let me go places with him," she explained.

"Can you tell us what happened today?" Michael asked.

"We were just going for a drive on Mount Chiliad and Edward was showing me the animals and stuff. And then Trevor drove over spikes by accident. And then the Altruist people came and started a fight. Trevor and Edward did a really good job protecting Tracey and me."

"Thanks for telling us," he said.

"No problem," Erica yawned before closing her eyes. She was incredibly exhausted after the day's events. Michael couldn't thank Franklin enough for coming to pick up Erica and Tracey from the mountain and bringing them to the hospital right away. He wondered why Trevor didn't call him first, though, considering this was his family. When Tracey finally emerged, Amanda rushed towards her daughter and hugged her. The poor thing looked terrified and exhausted. Michael stood with Erica half asleep in his arms.

"Hey, Trace," he said, using his free arm to hug his daughter.

"I want to go home," she whined.

"That's where we're going," Michael said. Amanda wrapped her arm around Tracey and walked out with her, followed by Michael who was still holding the girl in his arms. He placed Erica in the car and Tracey got in beside her while his wife sat in the passenger's seat. When they arrived back home, Trevor was there waiting on the front steps of the house. He stood when Michael got out of the car.

"How're the kids?" Trevor asked.

"You stay away from my fucking family, you hear me?" Michael growled.

"Whoa, Mikey, why so hostile?"

"You put both Tracey and Erica in danger with your little cult friends!"

"Hey, I don't make deliveries to 'em anymore," Trevor defended himself. "And I'd never willingly put those two girls in any kind of danger. If anything, I _saved_ them!"

"I don't know about that."

"I've always been real with you, M," Trevor said, but not in an angry tone like Michael expected. Instead, he sounded a bit broken, perhaps afraid that he'd never see Tracey and Erica again. He never really had much of a family, but when they visited, Trevor felt like someone cared about him which rarely happened. Seeing his friend like this, Michael actually felt horrible for accusing him. He'd never try to hurt him or his family. Despite being a psychopath, Trevor had always been truthful, honest, and loyal. When Erica got out of the car, obviously groggy from sleep, her eyes lit up in the moonlight when she saw Trevor there. She ran towards him, saying his name, and hugged him. "Hey there. You and Tracey all right?" he asked.

"Yup! I just have a bruise and Tracey got stitches but we're fine. Did you get hurt?" Erica asked.

"Not a scratch on me. Or Ed."

"Thanks for saving us. Tracey's kind of being weird right now and not really talking a lot," Erica frowned.

"She's probably just tired after today," Trevor replied.

"I'm not though," Erica said before she yawned.

"It's late, kid. Go on in and go to bed. I'll hopefully see you soon," Trevor suggested.

"Fine…" Erica said and followed Amanda and Tracey inside.

"Hey, T, sorry. I was just angry that someone tried to kidnap them," Michael explained. "Thanks for saving them."

"I guess I can forgive you if you come to Sandy Shores with Tracey and Erica next Saturday. Oh, and bring Jimmy. Haven't seen that kid in a while," Trevor said.

"Yeah, me either," Michael joked, referring to Jimmy who was usually up in his room playing videogames or leaving the house without saying a word. Come to think of it, his son had gotten very distant lately. Michael wondered if he should take him out to do something. "I'll stop by the desert next weekend. Hey, you want to crash here for the night?"

"Thanks, Mikey, but I should head over to the strip joint while I'm here to make sure nobody's been harassing those girls. Well, except me. Good night, Michael!" Trevor said before he walked over to his truck.

"Night, see you soon," Michael replied. He walked into the house and locked the door. It was rather late and everyone seemed to have gone upstairs. He felt like he should go check up on Tracey and he did just that.

At about two in the morning, Erica found that she couldn't go to sleep. The day's events had been quite horrifying and she usually had a difficult time sleeping after witnessing and escaping one of the gun fights in North Yankton. She had woken up from a nightmare and every time she shut her eyes, she saw blood, gore, and violence. Quietly, she got out of bed with Tracey's old teddy bear in her arms and walked to Amanda's room. She was shocked to only see Michael sleeping and she let a few nervous tears fall because she desperately needed her aunt. She wandered the house bravely, but Amanda was nowhere to be found. Erica bit her lower lip nervously before running up the stairs. Her second choice was obviously Tracey. She opened the blonde's bedroom door to see her sleeping. Beside her, Amanda was sleeping and most likely passed out after Tracey did. Erica didn't want to wake up Amanda since her cousin needed her mother.

This only left two options: Jimmy or Michael. Jimmy was most definitely out of the question since he got annoyed easily when someone woke him up. She did like him, but not when he woke up because he could be quite irritable. This left Michael. As much as she loved her uncle, she was kind of nervous to wake him up. She wished Amanda had just been sleeping there so she could just wake her up. Finally, Erica got the courage after hugging the teddy bear close to her chest and went back into the master bedroom. Unable to say anything, she went up to Michael and shook his arm to wake him up. He sat up quickly with a start. "Erica? Hey, what's the matter?" Tears welled up in her eyes and she didn't really know what to say. "It's all right. You want Amanda?"

Erica nodded. "But she's sleeping in Tracey's room and I don't want to bother her."

"You, uh, want to sleep in here?" Michael offered. Erica nodded before climbing into the bed on Amanda's side. She continued to hug the bear as she made herself comfortable and rested her head on Michael's shoulder. Now that he was awake, she wasn't so afraid anymore.

"I keep having bad dreams," she admitted.

"I can imagine after the day you had. Your dreams aren't real. You're safe now and nobody will hurt you."

"I know that," Erica said. "But why am I so scared?"

"Sometimes dreams can be scary even though we know they aren't real," he explained.

"It's stupid that our brains scare us like that. They're jerks," Erica decided. Michael let out a laugh at that and they were silent for a while. "I wish you and Amanda were my parents," Erica yawned. Michael wasn't sure how to respond, but when her breathing became even, he was relieved that she had fallen asleep. Or so he thought. Erica was simply pretending to sleep as kids do, but she knew he'd only sing to her if he thought she was asleep. Within five minutes Michael sang that one song he always did when he thought she was sleeping. The pleasant song eventually really did make Erica fall asleep.

* * *

I'd like to give a huge thanks to sUbSoNiCSoundwave for requesting that I put in some action and giving me the idea for the part where the Altruists play a role in this chapter. I honestly am not too good at writing action scenes, but I did my best!

And also, thanks again for reading/reviewing/favoriting!


	14. Chapter 14

It had been over a week since the Altruists tried to kidnap Erica and Tracey. For the most part, Erica was over it. She was scared for a few days and slept in Amanda and Michael's room, but after that, she was fine. Michael and Amanda decided to send her and Tracey to therapy despite Michael's obvious protests about it. Lester had found a good psychologist that didn't overcharge and actually listened to his patients. The therapist was surprised at how fast the nine year old got over it, but he explained to Amanda that she had admitted to being in similar situations before and that Amanda should consider making sure she's never in such a situation again. Tracey, however, was still shaken up by the entire event. She slipped back into her partying habits and said how she was going to drop out of school. Michael, however, talked her out of this by saying that he was extremely proud of her for doing something with her life and reminded her that if she completed it, she'd be the first one to graduate from college in the family. This motivated her more so than therapy because she was always searching for some form of approval from her father.

Erica could understand why Tracey wanted that from her father because she wanted the exact same thing from her own mother. The only difference was that Michael was proud of his daughter while Elizabeth thought of her daughter as a mistake. There wasn't anything she could do about it other than ignore the resentment she had developed towards her cousin. Erica thought Tracey was stupid for throwing up after she ate and rarely felt bad for her anymore when she did so. She thought her reasoning was stupid because she doubted that Michael ever said that he didn't want a fat daughter. He didn't really seem to care about that, considering Jimmy was overweight himself and Michael wouldn't really comment on it. Therefore, when Tracey ran up to the bathroom that afternoon, Erica rushed up the stairs after her, not allowing her to shut the door. "What are you doing?" Erica questioned.

"Please, just leave me alone," Tracey snarled. Erica had greatly improved within the past week during her acting, singing, and dancing lessons. When she showed off the new songs she learned as she had gotten over her stage fright, Tracey looked angry when she noticed that the nine year old had more talent than her when it came to singing and dancing. Erica tried to be nice about it, but Tracey could be, well, a bitch. Erica wanted to show Tracey that she could also be bitchy. Because of this little rivalry they had going on, Erica would always ask Amanda or Michael if they wanted to see what she learned. They always would encourage her and when they left the room. Erica would give Tracey a look to tell her to give up, but the blonde wouldn't be so easily defeated by a kid.

"I don't think I can feel bad for you anymore. What you're doing is stupid. I bet if you were poor you wouldn't be throwing up all this food," Erica shrugged.

"How would you know?" Tracey glared.

"Because I don't think you're actually suffering from this illness. You just do it for attention. I've noticed something interesting though," Erica said. She was good at causing trouble. She really hadn't been this mean since she left North Yankton, but she felt since Tracey was mean to her earlier and humiliating her in front of Jimmy, she'd get her back. Before all of this was happening in the bathroom, Tracey reminded her that Erica was trailer park trash and wouldn't ever get to be an actress.

"And what would that be?"

"You didn't care when I got close with your mom. I actually think you were happy for me. But just recently when I got close with your dad, you suddenly hate me," Erica replied, narrowing her eyes. "Watch out, blondie, because you don't know who you're messing with."

"A nine year old girl who's too short for her age doesn't scare me," Tracey replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, be very afraid, Tracey. Be very afraid."

"Whatever," Tracey rolled her eyes and left the bathroom. Erica smirked, knowing that she had just stopped Tracey from harming herself as well as winning that little argument.

"What was that about?" Jimmy asked his younger cousin when he saw Tracey storm out of the bathroom and then slam her door.

"Tracey was going to puke, but then we got in a fight, and I think she forgot about it," Erica shrugged.

"What happened between you guys? You were, like, really close."

"It's a long story."

"I've got time," Jimmy said. He grabbed Erica's small hand and led her into his room. He shut the door so that their conversation would remain private. She hated how dark his room was, so she opened the curtains to let in the natural light. She sat beside him on his bed and kicked her feet against it. "Talk," he demanded, but gently.

"She's been mad at me ever since she saw me sleeping in the same bed as Michael after the whole…thing," she said, referring to the almost Altruist kidnapping that occurred. "But I was scared. I did want Amanda, but she was in Tracey's room and I didn't want to wake her up and everything. So, I went to Michael. I just didn't want to be alone that night." She said this quickly thinking that if she slowed down, she wouldn't be able to say it.

"So I guess now you like hanging out with my dad, and she doesn't like it," Jimmy stated.

"Yeah," Erica nodded. "I don't get why she gets so jealous."

"Me either," Jimmy agreed. "I don't give a crap if you hang out with my parents. Gets them off my back. She should be happy that you're distracting them," he laughed. "I sure am!"

"Did Amanda forget to mention to you that you four are going out to the movies?" Erica grinned.

"What do you mean?" Jimmy said, eyes wide.

"You, Tracey, Amanda, and Michael are going out tonight."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to theater practice," Erica replied as if he should know this.

"And you aren't going because…"

"Because I'm too young to see a rated R movie. I don't know why, though. But she said it would be good for the four of you to bond."

"Take my place and beg to see a kid movie?" Jimmy asked hopefully.

"No, I already have plans. And besides, I'm just a kid."

"You don't mind being left out?"

"No, I spend plenty of time with both of your parents. You and Tracey don't hang out with them a lot so it's fair," she said crossing her arms with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah. Go to your theater thing and totally make me suffer. That's so fair," he joked.

Erica arrived at the theater and immediately reported to Margarita's private studio. She did her warmups before she started doing the ballet routine she was taught. She was very close to perfecting it; she just had to learn how to pirouette without stumbling at the end. In her spare time, she practiced balancing and even had Amanda teach her how to do some yoga positions that helped with her balance. Her attitude in school approved and she wouldn't talk back anymore. She found that taking orders wasn't as bad as she initially thought and did as she was told.

Margarita was obviously proud of her progress and reported that her discipline had greatly improved. However, today Erica was doing rather poorly when she danced and Margarita commented on it multiple times. Disappointment was evident in her tone which only caused Erica to stumble more than usual. "Stop, stop!" Margarita said and shut off the music. "Let's sit down," she said and went into her office that was attached to the studio. Erica followed and took a seat across from one of the few people that believed in her.

"I'm sorry," she hung her head in defeat.

"Don't apologize. However, when you're a professional, you can't let things that bother you affect your acting. It's all part of the job. But I do recognize that you are only a child right now. So tell me what's on your mind," Margarita said with concern. Erica picked at her pink tights that clung to her legs. She pinched the fabric, stretched it, and let go. She did this several times before answering and bit her lower lip in thought.

"Tracey and I had a fight," Erica said and forced herself to stop fidgeting and look her mentor in the eye.

"I see. What is it about, if I may ask?"

"I got scared one night and instead of getting my aunt, I got my uncle instead. And she didn't like it. And it makes her mad that he's proud of me because I can dance and I got good at singing and stuff," Erica explained.

"So, Tracey is jealous then?"

Erica nodded in confirmation. "She always wanted to be a singer and a dancer, but she's just not good enough. She tried to win _Fame or Shame_ to get famous. Since all this jealousy started, she hasn't been nice to me and I miss how things used to be."

"Don't let her get you down. She'll get over it," Margarita responded. "Especially since you'll be playing Glinda in _The Wizard of Oz_."

"What?" Erica asked in complete shock.

"The girl who was supposed to play her quit. Turns out she hated acting and her parents finally took her out."

"But shouldn't that part go to someone older or, well, better?"

"Probably, but I think you can handle Glinda. All you do is wear a dress and appear three times in the entire show. She's an icon, but her part is actually not that big. It'll be a good beginner role for you and you'll see whether or not you'd want to continue this back at home. It's not like I'm giving you the role of Dorothy. Besides, you have the right hair color."

"Thank you so much, Margarita. I won't let you down," Erica said excitedly as she accepted the role.

"If you do a great job, why, you could be a star. A _real_ star. Not one of those girls on _Fame or Shame_."

Later that night, Erica gathered the script and happily got into the car where Michael was waiting for her. She told him that she got the part as Glinda. Being a movie producer and a lover of old classics, he was extremely happy for her. She did remind him it wasn't that big of a role; it wasn't like she was Dorothy or the Scarecrow, but nevertheless, he was as happy for her as he would have been if she had been the star of the show. She read some of her lines and giggled in excitement.

When they arrived home, Michael made her blush furiously when he walked into the living room and announced that his niece was going to be a star someday. Amanda and Jimmy congratulated her while Tracey stayed silent on the couch. "She's gonna be a star on Broadway someday," Michael said and sat down on the couch pulling Erica onto his lap. She showed Amanda the script and eagerly showed her the highlighted lines.

"There aren't a whole lot of lines," she explained. "But I have to start somewhere."

"It's not the lead, but it's a role people will remember," Amanda replied. "I'm very proud of you."

"Jimmy, take note; Erica worked hard at something and got a role. Work hard at getting a job and you'll get one," Michael joked. Jimmy rolled his eyes but didn't want to ruin the moment for his cousin. He no longer had that jealousy or the lingering envy he kept to himself. Instead, that seemed to pass on to his sister who showed it.

"Will you help me rehearse?" Erica asked her uncle. Momentarily, she forgot about the rivalry that had developed between her and her cousin. It seemed that Tracey hadn't and scoffed at the idea of her father helping this girl.

"Yeah, of course. We'll start first thing tomorrow," Michael promised. Tracey stormed out of the room which the rest of the family ignored as she made her way into the kitchen. Within thirty seconds, she came right back into the room holding up a piece of paper.

"What is this?" the blonde asked in an annoyed tone. Erica just realized that her cousin's voice was somewhat annoying as it was too nasally. She began to wonder if it was forced or if she really spoke like a valley girl by coincidence.

"Erica's spelling test. What's the matter with you tonight?" Amanda asked in an annoyed tone.

"Did you see what she wrote on it?" Tracey queried.

"What do you mean?" Amanda was obviously confused. Erica had done well on her test and received a one hundred so Amanda put it on the refrigerator like she used to when her own kids were that age.

"Look at the name on the top," Tracey said and handed her mother the test. It read: Erica De Santa.

"Oh," Amanda said, not sure what else to say since she didn't notice it until it was pointed out.

"Why are you using our last name?" Tracey asked Erica.

"Why does it matter?" Erica replied and crossed her arms.

"Stop it, you two," Michael said before anything could escalate.

"You're going to tell her that she should use her, like, own last name. Right, daddy?"

"Well, Tracey's right. You should use your own last name," Michael said.

"What's wrong with Meyers?" Amanda asked.

"I don't really know why. I think I was sad that day. Sometimes I don't want to go back to North Yankton, so I pretend that I am a De Santa. It won't happen again. I'll be more careful."

"I don't think it really matters," Jimmy finally spoke up. "I mean, it's not like she's signing important stuff. And she's probably smart enough to use her real last name if, like, I don't know…if a cop asks her or a judge or something."

"I think Jimmy's actually right this time," Michael said, making his final decision. "Now, no fighting and no gloating," he said as he turned to his daughter and son respectively. "It's almost your bedtime, kid. Go up and get ready." Erica nodded and stayed silent as she hopped off of his lap and made her way up the stairs. She stood on the top of the stairs for a moment to hear Amanda's harsh whispering to Tracey. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she did hear Tracey make a high pitched grunt in annoyance and storm out of the room. This was Erica's cue to run into the bathroom and brush her teeth. She made sure nobody was in the hallway before she darted into her bedroom. Right before she shut the door, Tracey stopped her.

"I can't wait until you go back to where you came from."

"And I can't wait until you see my name up in lights in ten years."

* * *

Uh oh! Some "sibling" rivalry to mix things up!

Thanks again to everyone who reads and reviews!


	15. Chapter 15

It was a Saturday and instead of going to Trevor's, Erica was stuck at home since Tracey wouldn't bring her. Since the blonde was being rather difficult, Michael promised he'd drive Erica up next Saturday and informed Trevor of their plans. This left Erica as bored as ever. She had already practiced memorizing her lines for a few hours as well as read her book. Reading wasn't really the same anymore since reality wasn't so dark. She found herself engaging in other activities such as hanging out with her friends and talking for long hours on the phone with Dinusha. Since her weekdays were filled with school, homework, and the theater, she found herself too tired to even think about picking up a book. She did enjoy her Shakespeare, though, and always made sure to read a bit of it on Sundays.

Erica threw herself onto her bed and shut off her tablet. She never thought that she could achieve boredom as it never really happened before. She began to wish she had a bike so she could have gone on a bike ride with Michael and Jimmy near the beach. Perhaps, she thought, on her birthday she'd ask for a bicycle. Her blue orbs went wide at the thought of asking for a gift. What was happening to her? Were these thoughts even normal?

She had a sudden urge to call her mother. She vaguely remembered her mother didn't want any phone calls from her, but maybe she'd be proud of her daughter! Erica smiled with joy; how come she hadn't thought to call her when she had something to be proud of? The red head dashed out of her room and down the stairs. She slid across the tiled floor and into the kitchen. She was relieved to see Amanda was outside doing yoga so she was able to grab the phone and run back up to her room with no questions asked.

Erica had saved the phone number from last time despite wanting to tear it up. She quickly dialed the number and heard the phone ring. It was a miracle when her mother answered. Her tone was obviously annoyed but Erica was glad she probably hadn't checked the caller ID. "Hi, mommy! It's Erica," she said into the phone excitedly. "How are you?"

"I thought I said not to call me," Elizabeth grunted.

"But I have good news!" Erica exclaimed.

"On with it. You're wasting my time."

"I started taking theater classes," she started. "And we're doing _The Wizard of Oz_. I got the part as Glinda. The lady in charge of everything says I have potential," she made sure to explain quickly.

"That's it? Look, all of these people just take pity on you. You probably don't have a talented bone in your body. Why did you call to tell me this?"

"I thought you'd be proud of me," Erica said in a small voice. "And I really do miss you, mommy."

"How sickeningly sweet," Elizabeth said to her daughter in a menacing tone. "I can't be proud of you. I can never be. Why don't you get through that thick skull of yours?"

"Why can't you? Why can't you care about me?"

"Who could care about you? You're on the track to becoming a whore, just like the rest of us. How do you like your aunt, by the way?"

"I like Amanda," Erica said, her lower lip trembling. She desperately tried to keep her tears from falling.

"Amanda ran off and became a stripper and probably slept around for money. But more importantly, she was a traitor. We had these dreams that we'd get out of the trailer park together and she left me to fend for myself. And when I tried to reach out to her, she ignored me. Once she was married, she and Michael wanted nothing to do with me. I barely got to see my sister. To top it off, Michael was a snake. He could manipulate anyone to think that he's the good guy when all he did was rob people and kill them. And my sister was dumb enough to fall for it! They're both traitors. They're both liars. You think they care about you? You think they love you? Wake up, sugar, because both of them are manipulative, lying sacks of shit."

"You're lying. Amanda and Michael aren't like that," Erica cried into the phone.

"Don't let them fool you," Elizabeth said in a warning tone. "Those two didn't even care that you existed until I dumped you with them."

"If they really are like that, why did you send me to stay with them?"

"I didn't want you in a foster home again."

"Why not?" Erica questioned.

"I have my reasons. I have to go." Elizabeth hung up the phone. Erica also hung up and took the teddy bear into her arms and she cried into it. She couldn't think about this; not now. She had to get away. She had to get out of this house. Last time, however, all she did was scare everyone when she left and she didn't want that to happen. Instead, she dialed up Ashley's number and asked her to come pick her up if she was free. Luckily for her, Ashley said she'd get there as fast as she could.

After about fifteen minutes, Erica waited outside for Ashley. The thirteen year old arrived shortly in a cab. She got out to meet up with the young girl. "Hey, you're all right," Ashley said and hugged her. "Did you tell anyone that you're going?" Erica shook her head. "Okay, you wait here."

"Amanda's around back," she sniffed. "And I don't really want to see her right now." Ashley nodded and walked around the mansion. Erica stood by the front steps and tried to hold back her tears. When Ashley came back around, the two got into the cab and eventually arrived at the shore where Erica explained the conversation she had with her mother about how she was afraid that Amanda really was a traitor along with her husband. She also wondered if they pitied her instead of genuinely loved her. The two walked along the beach far away from the water.

"I really don't think it's true. And so what if it is? They're really nice people now and that's all that matters. It's in the past probably, if it is true," Ashley explained. "The important thing is that they are really nice to you. And they love you. Nobody's ever treated you like they do before, am I right?"

"Yeah, you're right," Erica said and gave a small smile as she stared at the sand. She zipped her jacket up a bit higher as it was cold by the water. "Amanda's been the mommy I always wanted and Michael's been really nice. But why does my mommy have to say such mean things?" Erica queried. "Why can't she be like Amanda?"

"Same could be said about my dad. When I lived with him, he forgot about me. A lot. Like I'd wait for him to pick me up from somewhere and he rarely showed up," she explained.

"I'm sorry," Erica said with empathy. "And here I am complaining about my mommy."

"Hey, it's all right. I get where you're coming from. I'm just lucky I don't have to go back and live with him. My sister can be kind of annoying, but at least she remembers I exist. And the money your aunt and uncle are paying me to watch you really helps out a lot. My sister and I finally saved up enough for a couch," Ashley paused for a moment. "And now I don't have to steal anything anymore to eat. I really can't thank Amanda and Michael enough."

"It's a good thing you found me that day," Erica smiled.

"Sure is," Ashley responded. "Ready to go back home?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for today. I had to get out."

"I know the feeling," Ashley smiled. "I just have to text Amanda and let her know I'm dropping you off." After a few minutes, Amanda responded that she wasn't home but Tracey should be. Erica rolled her eyes and began to explain that the Tracey drama was still going on. She assured Ashley she'd be fine because she'd just go up into her room and do something to stay out of her way.

After being dropped off and paying the taxi driver with the money Michael gave her for emergencies, Erica entered the mansion. She was going to go into the kitchen to get a glass of water, but immediately stopped at the staircase. Something definitely was off. She heard odd sounds coming from the living room. She peered into it and suppressed a gasp when she saw Tracey kneeling in front of the couch where there was a man leaning back, his head against the back of the couch and his eyes closed. His hand was tangled in Tracey's hair. Erica turned around quickly and went up the stairs as quietly as she could.

Erica picked up the phone she left in her room earlier. She went to call Michael or Amanda, but unfortunately, she didn't have their numbers memorized or written down anywhere. She bit her lower lip nervously and wished Jimmy was being lazy and stayed home. Why did he have to go out today of all days? The nine year old did the next best thing: she took out her tablet and used her texting app to get in touch with Jason. She quickly typed a message explaining the situation. Jason replied with a few curses before telling her that he was going to call Franklin for her. He explained that he was home alone (His brother was beginning to leave him home alone for fifteen minutes at a time) and that was the best he could do. Erica thanked him. He said to keep messaging her until Franklin or one of the adults arrived at home. He also told her to lock her bedroom door. She followed his instructions as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jason confirmed that Franklin called Michael who would then call Amanda. She heard the front door open twenty minutes later and smiled, telling Jason someone just got to the mansion. She could tell it was Franklin as he was yelling for those men to get out of the house. She heard Tracey scream and people thumping around to get out of the place. She was feeling much better and began to laugh along with Jason about how much trouble the twenty two year old was going to be in. After about ten minutes, she heard Michael yell Tracey's name in anger. Erica quickly messaged Jason about what was going on downstairs. She couldn't make out anything except for muffled yells between Michael and Tracey. There was a knock on her door. "Hey, Erica. It's me, Franklin. Can I come in?" Erica quickly told Jason that she'd message him later that night before opening the door.

"Thanks for coming," Erica smiled. She let him in her room and he shut the door behind him so that she couldn't hear what was going on.

"Michael told me to come wait here with you until Amanda's home," he explained. "You a'ight? Need anything?"

"I'm okay for now," Erica replied. "What's going on?" She took a seat on her bed and Franklin sat beside her after she patted the spot next to her.

"Uh, I think I'll let Mike and Amanda explain that one," Franklin said nervously and scratched behind his neck.

"Okay. Well, are the strange men gone?" Erica questioned.

"Oh, yeah, they ran outta there real fast. You messaged Jason the whole time, right?"

"Yup! I did until you knocked on my door. He made me feel better. I was really scared before."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Franklin agreed. The door opened to reveal Amanda who looked rather worried. She stepped into the room and shut the door as Michael was still dealing with his daughter. Erica thought about what her mother told her as well as Ashley's words. The thoughts jumbled in her head before she made the decision to get up and hug her.

"I don't care what mommy says about you," she said, feeling guilty about earlier when she believed what her mother told her. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Erica. What's this all about?" Amanda asked and gave a confused look to Franklin who only shrugged.

"I was stupid and called my mommy," Erica explained. "She said really mean things and I believed them until I talked to Ashley. I'm sorry I believed them," she cried.

"Don't be sorry," Amanda said in a gentle tone. Erica didn't notice when Franklin left the room when Jimmy poked his head in, extremely confused as to everything that was going on. Michael had dropped him off at the Bean Machine after their bike ride to meet up with his friends for a bit while his father had to 'take care of something' at home.

"Why can't you be my mommy?" Erica questioned. "Why does she have to be? It's not fair," she sniffed. This rendered Amanda speechless. She never had to comfort a child in this way before. Sure, Jimmy and Tracey would get upset as kids, but they didn't have this sorrow and state of longing like Erica did. The poor girl was neglected by her mother and she longed to have a mother who loved her. This broke Amanda's heart just hearing those words. The next question would throw her off when Erica said, "Mommy said you didn't care about me before I came to stay with you. I don't believe her. I bet she just wouldn't let you visit or something." The silence said otherwise and Erica stepped back and pulled away from her. "She was right…" Erica whispered.

"Please, Erica, let me explain," Amanda started. Erica took a few more steps back.

"My mommy hasn't been the one lying this whole time. She's been truthful. You're the ones who have been lying to me," Erica realized.

"Erica-"

"No!" Erica said. "You know it's true and I know it's true."

"How dare you speak to me like this? After all I've done for you."

"You knew about me being taken away and put into foster care," Erica's eyes narrowed. "You knew about what was going on but ignored it."

"That's it- no more theater for you!" Amanda declared. "You will not be rude to me."

"I'd like to see you try to stop me," Erica said and balled her hands into tiny fists at her sides. She suddenly put her face in her hands and began to openly sob. She cried because her mother was right, she cried because she didn't want her mother to be right. She shed her tears because she desperately wanted Amanda to forgive her but she was crying too hard to ask for the forgiveness she felt she didn't deserve. Erica managed to get to her bed and grabbed the teddy bear Tracey gave her and hugged it tightly. She desperately wanted to be held, but she knew the way that she just spoke to Amanda that it wouldn't happen. To her surprise, her aunt sat down on her bed beside her and pulled her up onto her lap. Amanda relaxed against the pillows while Erica tucked her head underneath her chin and continued to cry as she kept a death grip on the bear with one hand and held onto the fabric of Amanda's shirt with the other. "I'm sorry," she managed to say.

"Shhh," Amanda said as she rubbed her back. "I'm sorry for not being there for you before."

"I don't know why I listen to her. She's never made me feel safe like this. I don't care if you weren't there for me before. At least you're here now." Her grip on both items began to relax. She hugged the stuffed bear close to her.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you're here. You know, you make me feel young again," Amanda spoke up.

"Really?"

"Mmhmm. I missed having kids around here. It's nice," she replied.

"I'm leaving in two months, so enjoy it while it lasts," Erica said with a small smile. Amanda felt her stomach drop. She had forgotten that Erica would have to go back to North Yankton soon. Two months was short and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to give her up. She felt possessive over the child and it broke her heart that she would have to hand her back over to Elizabeth who most definitely did not treat her daughter right.

"I'll enjoy every moment of it."

* * *

Here's an emotional chapter for you guys. I will not be finishing this story by August 28th like I wanted to considering there were more chapters than I thought there would be but I just love writing this story!

Thanks again for those wonderful reviews! They make my day!


	16. Chapter 16

It was about mid-February when Erica decided to go snooping in Tracey's room. She was interested as to what she was doing with her life ever since she was caught that day with those people filming her. Michael had been very close to kicking her out of the house, but ultimately decided not to because he was afraid of where she would turn up later in life. She had been in so much trouble that her phone was taken away as well as her laptop. She could only use it for schoolwork and Michael made sure to have his tech friend, Lester, to install a device so that Michael could see exactly what she was looking up.

Erica knew Tracey was having problems with Jaylen. Dinusha told her that her brother refused to date someone who did those kinds of things online. That and he felt extremely betrayed because he truly wanted that relationship to happen. Despite everything that happened between those two, the two girls remained close friends and talked on the phone for hours at a time. She was currently at her therapy sessions as Amanda felt her daughter needed to work on her self-esteem.

The girl opened a drawer to Tracey's desk and found a crumpled piece of paper. She opened it up and smoothed out the creases as best as she could to find a graded math exam. Her eyes went wide when she saw that she had received a eighty seven. Looking at the date, Erica saw that she took it before everything went downhill for her. Why would she make this into a paper ball when she had done so well? Actually, when she thought about it, Tracey never brought up her grades and her parents never really asked about them. Erica wished she could do this well with her long division tests as she was just passing them. Whatever math Tracey was doing had more letters than numbers in it, and Erica didn't really want to think about how hard math would get.

She was incredibly tired of fighting with Tracey. She just wanted her old cousin back- the one who would take her out for ice cream and the one who drove her to Trevor's every Saturday. She took the test and went down the stairs. She entered the kitchen and got a magnet. She placed it on the refrigerator door and smiled, hoping that the blonde would appreciate someone displaying her academic progress. "What do you have over there?" Amanda asked when she entered the kitchen.

"I found one of Tracey's tests," Erica replied. "Look, she did really good. So, I put it on the fridge so everyone can see it like my tests when I do well."

"Did you go through her things in her room?"

"Just one drawer in her desk where I found this."

"That is very nice of you to want to display her work, but don't go into her room again, okay?" Amanda said and Erica nodded in confirmation. She took a closer look at the paper. "She got an eighty seven on a math test? I honestly didn't know she was good at math."

"Me either. I didn't know math had letters in it. Numbers are hard enough," Erica complained.

"You won't have to worry about letters for a few more years," Amanda smiled as she was amused.

"Good. Long division is hard enough right now," Erica said. "This stuff is weird. Did you ever take this weird math?"

"No, I didn't. Last time I took math I was in algebra two and that was hard enough," Amanda explained.

"I guess math is something that won't get easier."

"You'll be fine when the time comes. And did you do your math homework yet?"

"Of course I did!" Erica exclaimed.

"Go get it," Amanda shook her head with a smile.

"Fine," Erica sighed and got her math workbook. She opened to the page that was assigned and sat down at the table. She rested her elbow on the table and supported her head with her hand and wrote with her right. Erica was pretty good about getting her homework done but neglected to do her math. It was probably because in her other school they were behind LS Elementary. "This is so stupid! I don't even get what a remainder is. Trevor explained it to me when I did my homework at his place, but I completely forgot."

"A remainder is what's left over," Tracey said as she entered the room. Erica was shocked that she said something to her but she played it cool and acted as if it was normal.

"Left over of what?" Erica sighed. "This is just too hard."

"You should help her, Tracey," Amanda suggested. "I see you're pretty good at math yourself."

"Where did you get that?" she questioned quickly.

"An eighty seven is great!" Amanda completely ignored the question. "Are the rest of your grades this high?"

"Does it matter? It's not like you ever asked about them," the blonde said with her arms crossed.

"Well, you never showed me," Amanda replied. "What class was that?"

"It's calculus. I have to take it."

"Who knew you'd be so good at math?" Amanda smiled. "I'm proud of you. I'm sorry I haven't been paying attention to your college things. You're the first one in the family to go and I should be making a bigger deal about it."

"I guess I should tell you that I recently changed my major, then," Tracey said quietly.

"To what?" Amanda queried.

"Sociology. I figured I could travel while making money," she shrugged.

"That's great!"

"It's not a big deal," Tracey replied.

"I'm glad someone in this family is doing something with their life," Amanda smiled.

"I'll help her with her homework," Tracey said. It was odd for her to be good at math, Erica thought, because she seemed to be that stereotypical dumb blonde. Upon closer inspection, Erica saw that her eyebrows were brown instead of blonde, and she began to wonder if Tracey was even a natural blonde. She had to ignore her thoughts as Tracey sat down with her. It became easier when she explained it with Skittles. First, they used small manageable numbers with the candy and then applied what she learned on a larger scale. Slowly but surely, the math became easier and she eventually finished her homework. "Do you have your costume for the play?" Tracey asked her.

"Yeah. I got it a few days ago, but you didn't want to see it," Erica reminded Tracey of her jealousy. But her cousin just shrugged it off and told her to go put it on and dragged her up the stairs. Erica did as she was told and put on the large pink dress. The fabric was stiff and was wide at the waist, making it look like one of those dresses women wore in _Gone with the Wind_. Erica loved the dress, but it was somewhat difficult to walk in and she knew she'd have to practice. "Come in my room," Tracey ordered. Erica didn't like how she was being so bossy, but she didn't want to fight so she just listened. She took a seat on Tracey's office chair that she had brought into the middle of the room.

"What are we doing?" she questioned.

"I'm going to do your makeup," Tracey said with a look of determination in her eyes.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Erica finally asked as Tracey put on the eye shadow.

"Because I know you put the test on the fridge."

"How did you know it was me?"

"You made it more obvious than mom," Tracey replied. Erica imagined her rolling her eyes at that statement. "I should be mad, but I've never seen her look so proud of me before. Thanks for…like, you know, showing her. She hasn't looked at me the same ever since, well…" she trailed. "That day. Dad can't even look at me anymore. He's totally disappointed."

"Of course he is," Erica cut in. "You really think he wants to see his daughter doing those things?" Tracey was silent and took a seat on her bed and sent her a glare. "You shouldn't do that. It's bad. If you keep doing it, you'll end up where your parents took you away from. You don't want to be trailer park trash, Tracey."

"Do I have to remind you that I lived in a trailer park for more than half my life?" she snapped.

"Then why are you trying to get back there?"

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No, I'm not!" Tracey shrieked. She stood up and stomped her feet in a tantrum.

"You'll get into drugs and all that bad stuff. You'll end up like my mommy."

"No I won't," Tracey seethed.

"Think what you want, but you'll do drugs."

"Believe it or not, Trevor does drugs. Meth to be exact."

"I'm not stupid. I know he does. But is that how you want to end up? I love Trevor, but we both know that the drugs are bad. He'll probably take too many…and, you know…"

"No he won't," Tracey said and rolled her eyes at her.

"That's what happens. I've seen what drugs do to people. My daddy did the same stuff as Trevor."

"You never really talked about your dad. Actually, mom never even mentioned him," Tracey said in a softer tone. Was this an attempt to change the subject? Because it was most definitely working. Nobody ever asked Erica about her father before and she wasn't sure how she would describe him.

"My parents were never married, so I saw him sometimes when he remembered me," Erica said.

"Like, how often did you see him?" Tracey questioned.

"Sometimes it was once a year and then sometimes it was every weekend," she shrugged. "But he was always really, um, not well because of all the drugs. I mean, at least my mommy can do things when she does drugs, but my daddy couldn't."

"What was he like?"

"He would sleep a lot," she said. "If he wasn't sleeping, he would light up, as he called it. But he was always nice to me. I liked visiting him. It was better than being at home with mommy."

"Is your mom, like, really that bad?"

"Why do you think this is my fourth time being taken away? I'm surprised they keep putting me back with her. Anyway, my daddy died when I was seven. It was really weird because I didn't cry. I don't think I understood what death meant."

"How'd he die?"

"Too much meth," Erica replied. "I don't really get sad about his death, though. I didn't know him really well. But Trevor does remind me of him. Except, Trevor's a better version. Like what he should have been." Erica wondered why Tracey was tearing up. Her mascara was turning her tears black as they silently fell down her cheeks. "But Michael is the daddy I always wanted. He's, well, stable."

Tracey let out a laugh. "Stable? My dad? Definitely not."

"He's the most stable man that I know," she shrugged. "How come it bothered you when I started to get close with him? Why didn't you care when I was with Amanda a lot?"

"I used to be really close with my dad. But we drifted apart and I guess. I was never really close with my mom, not like that. When Jimmy was a kid he was definitely a mama's boy."

"But then why doesn't it bother him?" Erica questioned.

"Jimmy isn't really bothered by a lot. Well, unless, like, you take away those videogames. But why do you like my mom so much?"

"Because she's the mommy I always wanted. She's really nice to me. Actually, this whole family is really nice and I can't even believe it's all real," the girl admitted to her older cousin. Tracey pulled her into a hug and just held her. Erica was extremely confused. She didn't understand why Tracey was hugging her at the moment, but she hugged her back anyway. She was even more confused when Tracey was openly crying her eyes out. This girl was extremely confusing and Erica wondered if this was just how women were, and she hoped that she would have more control over her emotions when she got older.

"I'm sorry I was mean to you," she cried. "I'm so sorry, and I like never apologize."

"I'm sorry, too," Erica said. "I was doing things to make you mad on purpose. Can we be friends again?" Tracey let out a squeal and nodded, then proceeded to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Now, where were we? Oh! Let me fix your blush. And now for the lip gloss." She gently glided the gloss over her lips. It was a light pink in color and probably barely visible. After she was satisfied, she turned Erica towards the mirror. The nine year old let out a gasp and was shocked that she didn't look like one of those beauty pageant girls, but more subtle- she still looked like a child. The most noticeable thing was the pink eye shadow that matched her dress almost perfectly.

"I love it!" Erica smiled happily. She quickly thanked Tracey before running out of the room to the top of the stairs. "Amanda! Look!" she yelled down the stairs as she took careful steps so she wouldn't trip and rip her costume.

"What is it?" Amanda said and saw her come down the last few steps. "You look beautiful."

"Just like Glinda," Erica smiled broadly. "Tracey did my makeup!"

"Well, Tracey did a very good job," Amanda complimented.

"Thanks, mom," Tracey replied.

"Why don't you sing a few lines for us?" Amanda asked, referring to her brief solo.

"No, I can't," Erica blushed. "You'll hear it in the play."

"Come on," Tracey urged. "I bet you're really good."

"Maybe another time," Erica said. She still had horrible stage fright and had a difficult time singing in front of people. Miss Spatz was helping her with this because she was really only afraid to sing. She was perfectly okay acting and dancing in front of the rest of the kids.

"Okay," Amanda smiled. "I hate to be that person, but go on up and change. We don't need you ripping that costume."

"I wouldn't do that," Erica rolled her eyes playfully before she ran upstairs to go change. While changing into her pajamas for the night, she wondered if she should call her mother and invite her to see the play which would take place in a month or so. She wanted her to be there, but at the same time, she didn't. Her mother would ruin the entire experience and poke fun at her, making her nervous and embarrassed. On the other hand, if she went, she would see just what her daughter was capable of and perhaps she'd change her mind about her. But what was she thinking? Her mother would never change. It was a hard reality, but she was slowly starting to understand that Elizabeth would always be a horrid person; she'd continue to use drugs and do whatever it took to get them. Erica looked at the scar on her arm that nobody ever questioned. No, she decided, she would never, ever go and invite her mother. Amanda was a great and welcomed replacement. It didn't stop the hurt that enveloped her chest from time to time. She forced her tears back and joined the other two women on the couch. She allowed herself to cuddle up to her aunt for comfort. It always made her feel better when she pretended that she really was Amanda's daughter. Suddenly, she was happy again.

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Thanks again to everyone reading and reviewing!


	17. Chapter 17

Erica hadn't felt more alive, nervous, or excited as she had been while on stage. She had been nervous about the first act when her character was introduced every night when she performed due to the singing part. She was still mildly uncomfortable singing in public, but as each night passed, it became easier. During opening night, she was a bit nervous when she realized she wore the biggest and most extravagant dress which meant everyone's eyes were drawn to her when she made her appearance. The only thing that kept her from freezing up was the fact that the stage lights were so bright that she couldn't even see the audience.

She was amazing that Michael and Amanda attended every single performance. It felt odd to have people who cared about her enough to sit through a play by a bunch of eight through eleven year olds. She was constantly told she did a great job by both of them. It was nice to have a support system, and this made it easier for her to get up on that stage night after night.

Despite the nervousness, Erica absolutely loved being on the stage. In the moments where she forgot that people were watching her, she had a lot of fun. Her favorite part that was created for the play was a dance number between the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda; the Wicked Witch would start off by doing a ballet number as she threw the fake red poppies on the stage to put Dorothy and her friends to sleep. Erica thought the girl who played the witch was one of the best dancers in the group. She moved fluidly and admitted that she had started ballet when she was four. Erica would then join the other girl on the stage doing her own ballet number and throw fake snow on the stage. The other girl's moves were much more erratic and sharp for her character. She wore a black leotard with black stockings contrasting with Erica's pink attire. Being the good witch, Erica's dance number was much more smooth and fluid. It was also simpler, but she wasn't as great of a dancer as the other girl.

Margarita continuously told her that she could be a star when she was older. It was encouraging and Erica felt that if she wanted to make something of herself, she could pursue the theater. She promised herself that she'd stick with it and do whatever she could to make it. She found that acting, dancing, and singing were forms of escape for her, just like reading, but different in a way because she could use emotions to portray the arts.

The last show came to an end and she found herself a little sad at this. She really enjoyed the people she worked with the past few months. Erica changed from her gown to her own clothes. She left the dressing room and found Amanda and Michael by the usual spot where they'd meet up. She was quickly brought into a hug by Michael as he told her what a great job she had done.

"I'm going to miss it," Erica said when they got into the car.

"Now you can look forward to the next one," Michael replied before being elbowed by his wife.

"I want to ask you guys something important," Erica started.

"What is it?" Amanda questioned while ignoring the glare from Michael.

"Well, I've been really good, right? Not the play, I mean, but in general," she asked.

"Of course you have," Amanda replied.

"Since I've been really good, maybe I can stay here in Los Santos with you? I have a lot of friends here and you guys are nice to me," Erica said as she nervously looked at the ground. It was too dark to see her feet as she kicked against her seat as she swung her legs. It was too silent for too long, Erica thought, and she was afraid that they'd take her back on Friday. Erica wasn't sure if she could handle going back to North Yankton as she'd be cold, hungry, and neglected.

"Sweetie, don't you want to go back home to see your mother?" Amanda attempted. To any other kid, that would have been a good enough answer. However, the red head's situation was obviously unconventional.

"I do want to see her," she admitted. "But I don't want to live with her anymore. I like you guys better."

"It doesn't work that way," Michael began to explain. "As much as we love having you, we can't just take you away from your mother permanently. Besides, she's got to be better by now."

"She never gets better," Erica replied with tears in her eyes.

"We'd love to have you come visit this summer," Amanda said. She was obviously attempting to make the situation better, but Erica knew better. Her mother most likely wouldn't allow it knowing how happy she was in LS.

"But I don't want to just visit," Erica persisted. "I want to live here. I think this is the first time I've been happy."

"It's not in our control," Michael stated gently. "We'll make sure you come visit a lot, though. Don't worry." Erica remained silent the rest of the ride. She didn't want to burst into tears in front of them. She'd wait until she was alone in her room. In just five days, she'd be on a plane back to North Yankton and back to her old life. It wasn't something she desired.

When they arrived back at the mansion Erica desperately wanted to call home, she ran up the stairs to her room. Or, rather, the room she was currently staying in. Amanda tried to follow her up, but she made sure to lock her bedroom door. She wouldn't respond when her aunt tried to get her to open the door. Erica wanted to detach herself from Amanda and Michael so that leaving wouldn't be as painful. She decided that ignoring them would be best.

Erica attempted to think about the bad things about them, but failed to think of anything. Sure, Michael had a history of murdering and robbing people and Amanda hadn't been exactly an angel. However, they had been too good to her. She almost wished that they had treated her as if she was a stranger, not a family member. This way, she couldn't have gotten attached. She shouldn't have gotten attached. She shouldn't have made friends, either, or found that she enjoyed theater.

Erica would miss Amanda's hugs and watching movies with Michael. She'd miss going to Trevor's with Tracey and playing videogames with Jimmy. She'd miss her new friends that she made, the theater, and most of all, being a kid. Erica knew she was a bit awkward at the latter, but it was still nice not to think about where her next meal was coming from or if she'd be left alone at night. She grabbed the teddy bear and curled up on the bed and cried because she knew she was losing everything she ever wanted.

The nine year old heard Amanda pleading for her to open the door. It pained her to hear her aunt so desperate on the other side, but she stopped herself from letting her in. The red head grabbed her backpack and began to pack the things she thought she needed such as an extra pair of clothes, pajamas, her water bottle which was half full, and her tablet. She zipped it up and grabbed the teddy bear. Erica was going to run away this time and break her promise that she'd never run off. If Amanda and Michael were going to send her back to North Yankton where she had to look after herself, she'd rather run off in LS where it was warm and take care of herself here.

When Erica was certain that Amanda wasn't behind the door, she slowly opened it. What time was it? She went downstairs and checked the time and saw it was one thirty in the morning. She wondered how long she really was crying for, but shrugged it off. She was an adult again, she decided. Erica grabbed a few apples and bananas and filled her water bottle up in the kitchen sink before leaving the mansion. She stepped back and looked at it, knowing she'd miss this place. She walked off and hoped to give herself a better future. She'd survive on the streets and return to the De Santa's when she was eighteen so they couldn't ship her off back to North Yankton.

* * *

Sorry for the shorter chapter! This is more of a filler chapter setting up for the next one. If I made this and chapter 18 one chapter, it would be too long. Thanks again for the continued support.


	18. Chapter 18

It took Erica until four o'clock in the afternoon to realize that running away wouldn't solve her problems. As she sat on a bench somewhere in Los Santos (she had no idea where she was), she found that she'd be homeless if she was on her own. She forgot what it was like to sleep in the park and she immediately remembered she hated it. She should have just enjoyed her last few days with Michael and Amanda, but she had acted on an impulse and didn't think about her actions. Living with her mother wasn't the ideal situation, but at least she had a roof over her head.

She was too ashamed to go back to the mansion even though she really wanted to. She hugged the teddy bear close before deciding to go to Trevor's. It was better than facing her aunt and uncle. They'd be so disappointed in her and that was probably one of the worst feelings in the world. To make matters worse, she didn't have any money with her to take the bus or a taxi. It was hard to orient herself considering she didn't even know where she was so she couldn't even walk there.

When she found a convenience store, she sneaked in and grabbed a map. She stuffed it in her backpack before asking the store employee for the key to the bathroom. He hadn't even suspected her of stealing, so on her way out from the bathroom, she grabbed a few snacks and walked out casually. She learned at a young age that if she didn't look like she was doing anything wrong, nobody would suspect a thing.

She found a vacant bench and began to eat her chips as she looked at the map. She managed to figure out where she was by looking at the streets around her. She mentally traced a route she would take that would take her to Sandy Shores. From there, she'd figure out where Trevor's house was. It would be a long walk, but she was willing to take up the challenge. Erica began her long journey and followed the map. She unhooked her keychain that was actually a mini flashlight and used that to help her out.

A car pulled up near Erica. She froze as she was terrified even though she desperately wanted to run away. It made her feel a little better when the boy driving it was revealed to be no older than sixteen and probably just got his license. "Hey, kid, what are you doing by yourself?" he asked her. His skin was dark as well as his hair and eyes. He didn't look too intimidating, but she was still wary.

"Nothing," Erica said in a small voice.

"Are you lost or running away?" he blatantly asked.

"I shouldn't be talking to strangers," she bravely said.

"I'm Aster," he introduced myself. "And I can't just leave a little girl here wandering alone. It's gonna get dark soon."

"Thanks, but I'll be okay."

"Not in this area. Grove Street is a few blocks from here. I can't just let you keep going."

"What's so bad about Grove Street?" Erica questioned.

"Bad area. Gangs, shootouts, and crap. Are you running away or somethin'?"

"I was going to," she admitted. "But I know it's stupid now."

"Need a lift home?" Aster asked.

"No…it's not even my real home anyway. I'm really from North Yankton," she stated. Erica clutched Tracey's old teddy bear and hoped Aster was a good guy. He sounded like one and she was beginning to think that was good enough for her. She never really had those lessons that she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. Her mother never mentioned that it would be bad nor did her father when he was still alive. If she learned it at school, she hadn't paid attention to those things such as fire safety or electricity safety. She had used her instincts in order to determine what to do. She figured if there was a fire around her, she'd be smart enough to get away from there; if there was a loose or open wire, she wouldn't touch it. When it came to people though, she was rather clueless. "I'm staying with my aunt and uncle right now. But I go back soon. I didn't want to go back, so I ran away. It was stupid."

"Yeah, that was stupid of you," he smirked. "You should probably head back then."

"I can't," she mumbled. "I don't think I could look at them."

"Embarassed?"

"More like ashamed," she replied.

"Then where are you headed? You seem like you're trying to get somewhere."

"My…Uncle Trevor's. He lives in Sandy Shores."

"That's a crazy long ass walk!" Aster exclaimed. "I know you don't trust me enough to get in my car, but I can't just leave you out here."

"I've hitchhiked before in North Yankton and got in cars with a lot of weird people. You seem more normal than them. You'll drive me all the way to Sandy Shores?"

"If it means you're not on the streets when it gets dark, definitely. You sure you don't wanna go back to your aunt and uncle's though?"

"I'd rather not," Erica answered.

"Uncle Trevor's it is then!" Aster said. "Hop in." Erica got into the front seat of the car. Aster didn't seem to mind and she was too happy to be sitting in the front seat of the car. None of the De Santa's would let her as they said she didn't meet the weight and height requirements. Trevor would let her sit in the front if he drove the truck, but she was usually squished in next to Tracey. She told him the address and he punched it into his phone's GPS.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"No problem. I like driving anyway. Got my license four months ago," Aster stated proudly.

"Cool! I still have another…seven years to go," Erica said as she counted on her fingers.

As Erica got a ride from Aster, Tracey was out looking for her cousin yet again. She was annoyed but worried at the same time. It was her turn to go out searching while Jimmy waited at home just in case she showed up. Amanda and Michael had been gone the entire day searching for her, and Tracey wondered why her parents were putting this much effort into finding the girl. She'd probably end up coming home like last time; sure she had been gone since they woke up that morning, but she doubted she'd be out any longer. In the back of her mind, Tracey wondered if her parents would have went out and searched for her if she ever ran away when she was younger.

Tracet decided to try and call Jaylen again. He had been ignoring her texts and calls lately, but she thought that maybe Erica could have showed up at Dinusha's. She had gotten her phone back not long ago if she promised never to do, well, _that_ again. She went into her contacts and selected his name. It rang three times before he answered. "Stop calling me," he warned.

"Erica's missing," Tracey stated before he could hang up. "She ran away and we can't find her."

"Well, she's not here," Jaylen replied.

"I'm sorry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"

"Not particularly."

"Look, I don't even get why you won't return my texts. Was what I did really that bad?" Tracey questioned.

"I'm going to say this once, and I'm not going to say it again. I will not date a girl who does porn. I won't be with a girl who does disgusting things with a ton of different men."

"It's none of your business," she snapped. "You don't have to watch it!"

"I thought you changed. I thought you were done with all that. I saw your interviews while you were on _Fame or Shame_ and I thought 'here's a girl who wants to change' and that's why I really liked you at first. But then a new video comes out…Tracey, you're a slut. I don't call girls that, but you really are a whore. I'm not even trying to say this to hurt you; it's just a fact," Jaylen explained.

"Shut the fuck up! You don't know what you're talking about!" Tracey yelled into the phone. Tears threatened to spill because this was the first guy she actually truly liked. He wasn't like the other people she'd hook up with. In fact, she hadn't even wanted to be with him to hook up with him. She was ready for a serious relationship. She only agreed to do that last performance because she was offered a lot of money and she couldn't just turn it down. That, and she loved the attention. It was the wrong kind of attention; she knew this deep down, but refused to acknowledge it. She told herself attention was good and that it would get her name out there so that she could be a singer and dancer.

"I wish things could be different," Jaylen said with sympathy in his voice. "But they aren't. You made that decision to go back to doing that. You could have said no. But you didn't and that's what hurts me. I wasn't important enough for you to stop it."

"But you are," Tracey said and hated that her voice cracked when she spoke.

"I'm not, Tracey. You are who you are. I just can't be with someone like you. It could jeopardize my future career."

"I really, really like you, Jaylen. Like a lot. More than I ever liked someone. Just please give me one more chance," she begged. Begging wasn't something she was accustomed to and she never really had to do it. Most of the men she was with would willingly be with her as long as she kept them around. She knew this time it was different. Jaylen wasn't the typical guy she'd be with and she found that those other guys were all wrong where Jaylen was so right.

"If Erica shows up, I'll give you a call. Bye, Tracey," he said before hanging up the phone. Tracey screamed in frustration, something she had always done. It was like a mini temper tantrum and she allowed herself to have one in the safety of her own car. She punched her seat and the steering wheel. She wondered how she even turned out the way she did. Was it the fact that her mother's past was haunting her? Perhaps the fact that her father had been a professional thief and murderer? Was she just a result of bad parenting? Or was she the problem? Was she the one who allowed herself to become what she was? These questions would be left unanswered. She couldn't think about that at the moment. She had to find her cousin.

Meanwhile, Erica walked up the steps to Trevor's trailer. Aster waited in the car just to make sure she still wasn't running away. When he saw the balding man hug her as she burst into tears, he knew she was in good hands before he drove away. Erica let herself be picked up and carried inside. She didn't know where the tears suddenly came from, but let them fall. There was no point in being strong if she already showed her weakness. Trevor took her backpack and dropped it to the floor with a thump. She curled up on the lumpy couch with the teddy bear. Trevor seemed uncertain as to what he should do, so he grabbed a blanket off the floor and covered her with it before calling Michael. "I don't want to go back tonight," she whimpered. Trevor relayed the plead to Michael who reluctantly agreed to pick her up in the morning. Erica knew he wanted to pick her up that night, but she really couldn't face him and Amanda at the moment.

Trevor hung up the phone and sat at the other end of the couch. Erica continued to sniffle as she calmed herself down. "Who was that who dropped you off?" he asked her.

"His name's Aster. He didn't want me walking around LS by myself," she replied in a tired voice.

"Don't be getting rides from strangers," Trevor warned her. "Could end up in the wrong car."

"Hasn't happened yet," she shrugged and stared at the floor in front of her.

"So…why'd you run away this time?" Trevor asked.

"It's stupid," Erica sighed. She had no more energy to cry. "Well, I have to go back home on Friday and I didn't want to so I asked if Michael and Amanda would keep me, but they said no because it doesn't work that way. But why doesn't it work that way? Why don't I get a say where I get to live?"

"Because you're nine and aren't supposed to make life changing decisions according to our government," Trevor replied.

"It's just not fair," Erica said before getting herself comfortable against Trevor. His arm was around her as she cuddled up against his side. She ignored his odor of sweat and grease and focused on feeling comforted.

"Life ain't fair," Trevor grunted. "As difficult as my childhood was, I didn't try running away. Or maybe I did. If I did, I don't remember."

"Last time I ran away was when my mommy scared me. See this?" she said sitting up, showing him her arm, "I got this from my mommy trying to put drugs in me."

"What the fuck!" Trevor exclaimed, eyes going wide when he saw her scar.

"What she didn't know was the needle thing had nothing in it. I think she was too high to see that. But I was still scared and moved my arm out of the way fast and cut myself," she explained.

"Fuck Amanda and fuck Michael for not keeping you." Erica could feel his muscles tighten in anger, as if he wanted to severely hurt both of them.

"It's okay. They don't know. I never told anyone that before," Erica said and tried to calm him down. "Besides, even if I said something, nobody would believe me. It happened a long time ago," she shrugged.

"Shit, kid. If I could, I'd take you under my wing," Trevor said to her.

"I know you would," she smiled.

"You're going back Friday?" he asked. She nodded in confirmation. "Everyone I care about fuckin' abandons me."

"I don't want to leave," she said to him. "You know that."

"Michael and Amanda are fucking morons. Look at you! You're a great kid. I can't believe they're just going to ship you off."

"Why did I get a mean mommy?" Erica asked him, looking directly into his eyes. Trevor went to respond, but then stopped himself. Erica Meyers managed to make Trevor Philips speechless, which was an anomaly, because the psychotic man usually had an answer to everything. Instead, he broke eye contact with her and just stared straight ahead of him. "I don't want to go back, but I still want my mommy. I'm confused."

"Been there, kid," Trevor replied.

"You're the only one who gets it," Erica said.

"I think Mikey and Amanda get it, too. They didn't have the best childhood, either. Not as difficult as mine, but I know Michael's wasn't great. And he did tell me some stuff about Amanda," Trevor said and reached over and grabbed his beer, taking a long swig.

"What did they go through?" Erica questioned.

"Not my place to tell. But you should have an idea about Amanda."

"Yeah. Grandma isn't very nice," Erica pointed out. "But she's still better than my mommy. She remembers to bring me to the doctors and stuff."

"Listen, kid," Trevor said and forced her to make eye contact with him. She looked into his eyes and saw that he had dark circles under them again. She wondered if he ever slept. "When you go back, don't fuck up your life. Stay in school and get out of that shit. Do not get into drugs or fuckin' porn or any of that!" he practically yelled at her. She didn't know what to say to that. She never wanted to do drugs and she didn't want to be like Tracey in that aspect. She never intended to do anything that could jeopardize her future. She had dreams of escaping from the trailer park even if it seemed unrealistic. However, now that she realized she had potential and had some kind of talent, she planned to use it to get out of North Yankton.

"I promise I won't be bad. I'll be good," Erica replied in a small voice.

"And don't you break that promise," he said to her sternly.

"You can trust me," she said to him. It didn't take her long to succumb to sleep after that. She fell asleep on the couch with Tracey's old teddy bear. She almost wished that Trevor was normal and could take care of her, but she knew he was much too unstable for her to stay there permanently. That, and he lived a very dangerous lifestyle. She knew what Trevor Philips Industries was (or was it Trevor Philips Inc? Or TP Enterprises? The name seemed to change a lot whenever he mentioned it) and knew he got into fights that could result in his death at any moment if he ever slipped up for a second. Despite his obvious flaws, she still loved him and felt safer with him than she did with her own mother. It was funny, she thought, because her mother wasn't the psychotic one.

When Erica woke up the next morning, it was around ten in the morning. She rarely slept this late but she knew she had been exhausted the day before. She could hear Trevor outside yelling at Ron about something and ignored it to get ready for the day. She took out her extra clothes and got dressed quickly before brushing her hair and teeth. She found her place back on the couch and took out her tablet. One of her arms was hooked around the bear while the other held her tablet. She started to reread her favorite parts of _Hamlet_ again. She wasn't sure what time Trevor sat down with her, but she had started to read to him as per his request.

Trevor would make a few comments on the oddness of Shakespeare's language and every time Erica had to explain to him that it was old English and he was a genius when it came to the language. She had to explain some parts to him and she admitted that she didn't fully understand it until she looked it up online. The two were doing this when Michael and Amanda both came to pick her up. Michael had let himself in since Trevor never seemed to care about manners while Amanda just followed her husband in.

Erica continued to read, oblivious to the fact that her aunt and uncle were there. She was enjoying herself and lost herself in the moment; she forgot for the moment that she had to go back home to her unfit mother. "Oh hey there, _M_," Trevor said without looking up. He hadn't been in the business this long if he wasn't aware of the people around him. Erica stopped reading and looked behind her to see the two. She put her tablet down before running up to Amanda and apologizing about everything she put her through the previous day.

"Don't ever do it again," Amanda said after she kissed the top of her head.

"I don't want to leave," Erica cried.

"I know, I know," Amanda said and kept her voice steady. "But you miss her, don't you? Even just a little?"

"Maybe," Erica sniffed. "But I think I'll miss you more."

"Thanks for looking after her," Erica heard Michael say to Trevor.

"I like that kid," Trevor said. "If you let anything happen to her by sending her home, I'll fucking kill you."

"Whoa, Trev, she'll be fine. Amanda and I want to have her come back for the summer. Don't worry about her," Michael assured him.

"She really likes your wifey over there," he commented.

"Yeah, she's been very clingy to Amanda," Michael agreed.

"Fuck, why can't you just keep her?"

"It doesn't work that way," Michael replied. "Besides, she's a kid. I bet she misses her mother."

"She does miss her, but not in the right way, Mikey," Trevor said to her. "It's a fucked up relationship."

"Isn't everything fucked up? We aren't exactly perfect."

"You're as close to damn perfect to her."

Erica clung to Amanda's side after saying goodbye to Trevor. She wouldn't leave her aunt's side until she was forced to get on the plane. She decided she was going to make the most of it and spend as much time with the De Santa's as possible. Erica refused to take this for granted. She knew her mother wouldn't send her back there and that is what everyone else was oblivious about- her mother, despite her attitude and poor treatment towards her daughter, wanted and needed her.

* * *

Thanks to scrawlx1012 for Aster! And a big thanks to everyone who's reading. I honestly can't believe how many hits/views this is getting.


	19. Chapter 19

It had been emotional to leave everything behind in North Yankton and move to Los Santos, to transition from trailer parks to mansions, and to find a whore beneath Michael. The moment Amanda had to drop off Erica at the airport and send her back home was on par with those emotional moments in her life. Of course, there had been many, but these were probably the most recent ones she could think of at the top of her head. She recalled when a gun had been held to her head in her own home as well as Tracey's, but for some reason this wasn't one of the first thoughts to come to memory which somewhat disturbed her as she thought about it.

Sending Erica home had been a tearful, sad event. She remembered how the nine year old wouldn't let go of Jimmy when someone was forced to carry her into the airport because she wouldn't get out of the car. Michael dragged her suitcase behind him (which was in actuality Amanda's, but the one she arrived with wasn't in the best of conditions). Amanda held her backpack while Tracey continuously tried to calm down the crying girl in her brother's arms. Nothing could console Erica as she slumped in Jimmy's arms, looking completely defeated. Silent tears cascaded down her cheeks, her small fists holding onto Jimmy's shirt for dear life. Trevor had showed up at the airport to say his goodbyes as well. Jimmy eventually had to put Erica down on the ground. She immediately ran into Trevor's arms and he picked scooped her up. The red head buried her head in his shoulders as Trevor said something to her in a low voice which was rather out of character to him. Amanda hadn't heard the conversation between the two, but she did see Trevor slip her an envelope. When she was placed on her feet again, she went over to Amanda and handed her the envelope. Without even uttering a word, Amanda knew to slip it in her backpack.

"Hey, I know you're really sad right now," Tracey said after they checked in. Erica sat on her lap, and Amanda thought it was odd to see her daughter with a child on her lap, acting rather maternal. "But we'll see you this summer. It'll go by really fast."

"When I come back, can we go to the beach?" Erica sniffed. She held Tracey's old teddy bear close to her chest. It hurt Amanda to see her like this, but there was nothing that could be done. She had to send her back with her mother.

"Yup! And we'll take daddy's credit card and go on a shopping spree," the blonde joked.

"Hey!" Michael said, overhearing the conversation. "We'll have to talk about that one."

"We'll take it anyway," Tracey whispered, making Erica finally smile for the first time that day. The happy moment only lasted for about two minutes until it was time for Erica to go through security. Michael carefully explained to the girl that only one of them could go back with her through security as the airport was strict on their rules. Erica looked towards Amanda and her aunt nodded in understanding. She said goodbye to everyone else, the tears coming forth again.

Erica held Amanda's hand, the teddy bear in the other, as they made their way through security. They had to separate for a moment, but she clung to Amanda's side as quickly as she could when the opportunity arose. Once they passed through security, they took seats and waited. Amanda wasn't sure what to say to her, but Erica began speaking before she could think of anything to say. "You know I'm never coming back, right?" she asked, tired of crying.

"What do you mean? I'm going to make arrangements with your mother. This is only a temporary goodbye. You'll be back in three or four months," Amanda responded.

"It's not going to happen," Erica said. She looked her aunt in the eyes. "My mommy likes to keep me to herself. She hates when I have to leave. She doesn't pay attention to me a lot, but she knows when I'm gone for a long time and she hates it."

Amanda couldn't recall the rest of the conversation; she was sure she tried to reassure Erica that she'd come back over the summer, but she knew the nine year old was right. She knew that her sister would probably refuse to respond to her phone calls and letters. Elizabeth would keep Erica away from any potential threat, and she most likely saw Amanda as one in terms of her daughter. She had no idea why her sister turned out this way or why she would treat Erica as if she didn't exist but then she'd want to keep her. And Amanda wondered why she ended up in Erica's-no-the guest bedroom Erica stayed in. She hadn't realized that when she came home, she ignored everyone and went into this room, lying down on the bed. Her eyes felt heavy-had she been crying? She closed her eyes just for a moment.

"_Mandy! Where are you?" an eight year old girl giggled as she ran around outside. It was fall and Amanda was giggling behind some rocks as her younger sister tried to find her. She was crouched down, her dress pulled over her knees to keep her legs warm. It wasn't a fancy dress by any means, but it was something and it actually fit her this year after her most recent growth spurt. "I found you, Mandy!" her sister shrieked. "I found you!" she belted as she pointed to the ten and a half year old._

"_Okay, okay, you got me," Amanda stood up to her full height. Her sister looked up at her, beaming at her as if she was to be worshipped like many little sisters her age. "Can we stop playing hide and seek now?"_

"_Fine," Lizzy grumbled. "Now what?"_

"_Tag?"_

"_No!" Lizzy said. "Whenever I'm it, I can never catch you. It's not fair."_

"_Okay…how about dolls?" Amanda suggested. Before Lizzy could answer, their mother came out from the trailer and started yelling at them to get out of her sight. Apparently, seeing them through the window wasn't what she had in mind when she told them to go out and play. "Maybe a walk. Come on," she said, taking her sister's hand. The two began to walk into town, grateful that there wasn't any snow._

"_Mandy? Can I ask you something?"_

"_Just ask it," Amanda replied._

"_When we get old, do you think we'll be like mama and her friends?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Do you think we'll be mean like her? Bad like her?"_

"_Lizzy," Amanda said and grabbed her sister by the shoulders and faced her towards her, interrupting their walk. "We will never be like mama. Or papa. We are going to be a lot better. You'll see."_

"_I think you're wrong," Lizzy replied. "We'll have no choice. I mean look at this place! It's full of people like her and we're gonna be stuck here forever and be cold and hungry," Lizzy cried, starting to get hysterical. She ripped herself from Amanda's hold on her and ran as fast as she could. Amanda tried to follow her, but for some reason, she wasn't faster than her sister. There had never been a moment where Lizzy was faster than Mandy because that's not how it worked. But had she become miraculously faster over night? Or was Amanda getting slower? It sure felt that way as she ran. It didn't help that there was a sudden snowstorm, either. However, she pushed through, screaming Lizzy's name. And just like that, the storm stopped._

_The sky was a dull gray the landscape was bare and frozen. Amanda shivered and saw a woman standing there with her arm stretched out, her manicured hand sticking out from the large, black cloak. Little Amanda looked up and saw that it was her daughter, Tracey, and she was obviously extremely confused. And she found it odd that she was almost eleven years old and recognized her twenty two year old daughter. How did that work? "Tracey? What's going on?" The blonde just smiled at her and adjusted her hood. Her hair was in two braids that fell down in front of her shoulders. She wouldn't answer Amanda's question, but instead, took her hand. The snowstorm started all over again and when it stopped, she was shocked that she was in a strip club._

_The music was loud, the bass made the floor shake, and Amanda wondered why she ever worked in one of these places. The place smelled of male musk and sweat and reeked of cheap beer. It took her a while to realize she was an adult again and assumed she was the right age. The men were eyeing her, wondering what a middle aged woman dressed in jeans, boots, and a blouse was doing in one of these places. Tracey was still with her, still mute, and pointed at the stage._

_There was a girl on the pole who was expertly doing her routine. She wore the typical lingerie. It was a bright green and her skin had body glitter covering it so that when the light hit her, she sparkled. Her hair was an orangish red (it was hard to tell with the flashing lights and overall darker atmosphere of the place) and was tied in one long braid. Her eyes were sky blue and she smirked at the men making inappropriate gestures to her. Her breasts were too big for her body; Amanda knew they were fake. _

_Eventually, the girl got off the stage and cocked her head and really looked at Amanda. "Oh my God!" she squealed as she rushed over to her. "Aunt Amanda? Holy shit, I haven't seen you in like, what? Ten years? Wow! I never thought I'd, like, see you again!" she yelled over the loud music. "Come with me. Let's talk," she said, grabbing Amanda's wrists and pulling her towards one of the private rooms. She watched as the girl locked the door and sat on the bed. Amanda hesitantly sat beside her and she instantly realized Tracey wasn't there to be seen._

"_Erica?" she finally realized. Why in the world would such a bright girl with so much potential be a stripper? She probably should have asked herself that question two decades ago._

"_Nobody really calls me Erica anymore," she laughed. "Nobody's called me that in forever!"_

"_What happened since I last saw you?" Amanda asked, flabbergasted._

"_Didn't take long for me to be put in foster care again."_

"_How's your mother?"_

"_Haven't seen her since I was eleven. I was in foster care until I was eighteen. Then I was dumped out of the system, and got a job here. 'Bout the gist of it."_

"_Why didn't you come back to LS?"_

"_What is this, twenty questions?" Erica laughed. "I didn't think it was an option, really. Thought about finding Trevor once, but that didn't happen."_

"_Don't do this. Come back with me. Michael and I-we'll send you to college; give you a life."_

"_This is my life," Erica replied. "I can't just get up and leave it. College isn't for me, anyway."_

"_What about theater? Remember those lessons? And your Shakespeare?"_

"_I gave up theater and reading a long time ago. Didn't have the same effect it used to, ya know? Like, I don't get why you didn't keep me back then. You could have. I looked into it. If you got me to talk about my mom and her shit, they'd probably let you keep me. But we can't change what happened, can we? I'm fucked up. I'm addicted to drugs, just like my mom was. I wonder where she is?"_

_Before Amanda could say something, Tracey appeared and grabbed her shoulder before the snowstorm swirled around them again, Erica disappearing from her sight. It was white and it was cold, but then it was warm and comfortable when she opened her eyes and found she was in her mansion. She thought whatever this trip happened to be was over. That was almost as weird as the time she tried LSD when she was eighteen. She poured herself a glass of wine and took a seat on the sofa. _

"_Amanda, I'm going to the store. Need anything?" She turned toward the voice and saw a girl with her orange hair in a ponytail and a knee length green and white floral print dress. She held car keys in her hand and her purse was on her left shoulder. She looked like a normal nineteen year old girl._

"_Who are you?"_

"_How many have you had?" she laughed. "It's me, Erica. Remember? I live on the second floor? The one who leaves books everywhere and you're always telling me to put them away?"_

"_You live here? How-what?"_

"_Are you okay?" Erica questioned, looking concerned. "I've lived here since I was nine…you adopted me?"_

"_Tell me something," Amanda said. "Are you happy that we adopted you? Do you like it here?"_

"_Why wouldn't I be happy? Sure, this family has its problems, but nothing major. Or at least I don't think so," Erica replied. "Are you getting Alzheimer's?"_

"_Who knows?" Amanda laughed. "I just had some weird dreams I think, that's all. Took me awhile to get back to reality."_

"_Got it," she smiled. "So, need anything?" And again, before Amanda could respond to her, Tracey grabbed her shoulder and a snowstorm started up again, practically blinding her, before she ended up sitting at the edge of a large boulder with her sister. Looking down at her legs and feet, Amanda immediately knew she was a child again. _

"_Mandy, I'm lost. That isn't me anymore." It was strange that they were children but were aware of their adult lives. Lizzy sat there with her legs drawn up to her chest. Her chin rested on her knees and she looked at the ground sadly. "I don't want to be like that. I don't even know why I am like that."_

"_You can change," Amanda tried to reason with her. _

"_It doesn't work like that," she sighed. "If it did, we wouldn't be here. Listen, the best thing for you to do is to take Erica away from me. I can't take care of her right. It'll hurt to give her up, but you have to take her. She won't grow up right. She'll end up like me. Let's end the cycle with our kids, please? At least you got out of it. I wasn't so lucky. If she stays with me, the cycle will continue."_

"_I'm not really a great mother myself," Amanda told her. "My son sits in his room and plays videogames all day. He did get a part time job, but he really isn't doing anything with his life. Tracey did porn that's probably all over the internet. I'm afraid to even find out about that."_

"_They're adults now," Lizzy said to her. "When they were kids, they weren't bad, were they?"_

"_Not that I can remember," Amanda admitted._

"_Besides, Jimmy's an okay person. He just needs some motivation. And Tracey's in college at least, so she's trying to do something with her life. Please, I can't let Erica grow up in North Yankton. You love her too much to let that happen."_

"_What about you? Do you love her?"_

"_No," she whispered. "Not like how you love your kids. Listen, you're a better person than me," Lizzy replied, her brownish eyes looking into Amanda's blue ones. _

"_Lizzy…"_

"_You're better. You've always been better. It's just how it is and don't argue!" Lizzy cried. "Now wake up! Get her back! Erica's supposed to be your daughter!"_

Amanda woke up with a start. She had a realization that she made one of the biggest mistakes of her life. She shouldn't have put her on that plane; she should have tried to keep her. She rushed out of the room and went down the stairs shouting her husband's name frantically. Tracey came around the corner and told her he was outside. She was rather confused by her mother's odd behavior and decided to go up into her room to avoid any kind of weirdness that was bound to occur.

The brunette went outside and found Michael out by the pool. He had his favorite whiskey and a glass on the table. She stood next to him and ripped out his earbuds. He gave her an annoyed look, but became concerned when he saw her look of distress. "Hey, 'Manda, what's wrong? Here, sit down," he said, gesturing to the other chair beside him. She sat down, her hands shaking in her lap.

"It's about Erica," she started. "I think we should consider keeping her." She said this quickly, nervously, and she seemed about to jump out of her chair. Michael had never seen her like this from what he could remember and he was rather concerned about her behavior.

"Slow down," he said before taking a sip of his drink. "You mean you want to adopt her?"

"Well, yeah, I think we should. It would be best for her. Okay, look- I had this dream and all this weird crap happened and I'm not usually into dream interpretation, but-"

"It's okay," Michael interrupted her. "Are you positive you want to do this? I mean, both our kids are grown and hopefully almost out of the house. You sure you want another kid? We'll have to deal with a teenage girl all over again."

"Yes. I love having her around. And I think we can make a better life for her here."

"Amanda, we're the most dysfunctional people I know. I'm a thief and a murderer, you've been around the town more than once-"

"Michael!"

"Jimmy sits in his room all day, and Tracey, fuck, I don't even know what to think about her anymore," Michael continued, ignoring her interruption.

"Yes, but you really care about your family more than you ever have right now. I'm not sleeping around, Jimmy has a job now, and Tracey's in college. My sister doesn't really have any good qualities anymore. She's not fit to be a mother. She doesn't even love her. But we do."

"You just like that she's all clingy with you," he laughed.

"I'm serious, Michael," she continued. "I want to adopt her."

"Okay," he finally said. "She's a pretty easy kid as long as she doesn't run away. When she's ours, no more of that shit."

"Thank you!" Amanda exclaimed. She hugged and kissed him excitedly, like she used to back when they were younger. "Just one question."

"Hmm?"

"How do we go about adopting her?"

"Leave it to me. I'll find a lawyer first thing tomorrow. But let's discuss this with the kids first. Doubt they'll care, but it's something we should do."

"I love you, Michael," she smiled, kissing him again before walking into the house to talk to Tracey and Jimmy.

"Yeah, that's what everyone says when I say yes," Michael said to himself jokingly and followed his wife inside.

* * *

This chapter was actually a lot of fun to write. I will say that writing the dream part has been on my mind for weeks and I just had to type it all out! It's a miracle I got up this chapter this quickly. Anyway, thanks to all of you!


	20. Chapter 20

"I should probably get going."

"You'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah. I forgot how much my mommy needs me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she sometimes gets drunk and falls on the floor or something. Or she starts crying and she needs me there to make it better."

"Do you think you'll come back to Los Santos?"

"Maybe when I'm sixteen and go to court to be a legal adult. I forget the actual term. But I doubt I'll be back before then. Besides, I don't know if I can leave my mommy. I love her."

"Just be careful, Erica."

"I'll be fine, Jason. Now I gotta go the library's closing."

"Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Same time," Erica smiled before shutting off her tablet. She put it in her backpack and put on her coat. It was still a bit cold in North Yankton despite it being April. She also put on her hat as the night air was always colder. She put on her backpack and grabbed the pink teddy bear before exiting the library. It was strange how people never questioned why a nine year old would be alone in a library late at night. Perhaps it was the town, although most kids who had it rough at home met up at the park and got into trouble. She didn't really want to be like those kids who picked on everyone. However, for some reason, they never seemed to give Erica a problem; they'd give her sympathizing looks and on a number of occasions, they had given her food at lunch. The odd part was, they never spoke a word to her or introduced themselves. She tried to approach them once when she was feeling lost and hopeless and wanted to join their gang or whatever it was, but they ran away from her.

The red head shook these thoughts out of her head as she passed the park. Apparently they weren't meeting that particular night, so she was free to cut through it to take a short cut to the grocery store to get some food. Inside the envelope, Trevor had written down his phone number and had given her gift cards that could be used anywhere. It said there were five hundred dollars on in total on them. She took his advice in the note he had written to keep it in her backpack at all times so that her mother wouldn't take it and buy alcohol or something that wouldn't benefit Erica. She bought herself one of the last premade sandwiches, a few water bottles, and a box of granola bars. She was glad that Trevor understood her predicament and at least she wouldn't go hungry again.

Erica thought about bringing some food home to her mother, but she ultimately decided not to as she'd get suspicious. It was bad enough that she was going to hide a few snacks and water underneath her bed. She made sure to check in with Trevor every few days as he requested her to do so. She wondered why, but he refused to tell her his exact reasoning. She still hadn't called the De Santa's as that was just too painful to do.

The girl ate her food outside before walking back to the trailer. When she arrived home, her mother was sitting on the floor crying hysterically. There were a few empty bottles of alcohol. Erica held back her own tears as she hated when her mother was distressed. She knelt down beside her. "What's wrong, mommy?"

"Fucking everything," she wailed.

"Let's sit on the couch," Erica said. She put her backpack in her bedroom first and took off her coat before assisting her mother up onto the couch. This was difficult for her to do, but she managed it despite her mother falling on top of her a few times. Erica let her mother cry into her lap.

"Where were you when I needed you today, huh? Out fucking around with other kids?" Elizabeth cried.

"I was at school. And then I had to go to the library to do homework."

"Couldn't you have just done your homework here if it's so important? I was fucking lost today. Just look at me," her mother sat up and slumped against the back of the couch, gesturing to the floor that had broken glass and other items on it. Erica made a mental note to wear shoes indoors for a while.

"I needed the internet," Erica lied smoothly. "I'm sorry."

"Why do you care so much about school? This is probably gonna be it for you," she slurred. As her mother started to fall asleep, her new boyfriend came into the trailer. Erica didn't like him at all and she actually hoped for her mother's other boyfriend to get out of prison soon so she didn't have to deal with this man. He was vile, disgusting, and absolutely hated her. Sure, Elizabeth's other boyfriend also hated her, but at least he didn't touch her. This man, however, thought it was fun to hurt her. Erica didn't scream and she wouldn't scream because her mother never stopped him. She usually just sat there and watched with a blank look on her face.

Right as Michael got out of work, his phone buzzed and he swiped the screen to answer it since it was Trevor. He figured it would be easier to deal with him on the first call rather than the fifth enraged call. He didn't really know why Trevor didn't understand that he had a real job sometimes, even if today's' plans were to go golfing with Solomon. He was a movie producer, after all, reasoned the older movie producer, so why not have a little fun while getting paid for it? "Hey, T," he greeted.

"Mikey, if you don't go to North Yankton right now and get that little girl, I'm gonna fucking rip your balls off!" Trevor threatened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, T. Amanda and I are actually thinking of adopting her. We're looking into some kind of arrangement. Amanda's pretty stubborn about this and I honestly think she'd figure out a way to adopt her even if I said no," Michael explained.

"Seriously? Well, fuck. You still need to go get her."

"Why? What's wrong?"

While Michael was on the phone with Trevor, Jimmy finally emerged from his bedroom for the first time that day. He wanted some real food, so he grabbed one of those frozen dinners and put it in the microwave. His various snacks in his room weren't really satisfying considering he was attempting to cut back on the potato chips. "Hey, mom," he said, noticing her sitting at the table with a laptop. It was somewhat of a funny sight because she seemed to be reading something and had that same look on her face as well as her head resting on her hand like Tracey did when she was reading some article online from school. "What're you doing?"

"Reading," she said in a monotonous tone before sitting up and throwing her head back dramatically. "There are so many laws when it comes to kids. And on top of it, I have to research North Yankton's state laws, too. Or at least I think," she explained to her son.

"Why don't you just let dad handle all that," Jimmy reasoned. Sure, his father never went to college and didn't exactly do things the right way a majority of his life, but he was definitely the smarter of the two. Sometimes Jimmy thought his dad was some kind of genius due to the fact he was great and stealing and put together the plans. Also, unlike his mother, his father got things done (whether it was legal or not, that wasn't important). Jimmy loved his mother dearly, but he didn't have a lot of faith in her when it came to certain things; one of these things was researching and understanding written state laws on a laptop by herself with no prior experience.

"Because I can handle it myself," Amanda replied. "I can't depend on your father for everything." She continued reading, or at least pretending to, and Jimmy shook his head at how ridiculously similar his mother and his sister were. He did prefer his mother over Tracey, but he couldn't ignore the similarities.

"But you have for everything else. Why not now when things get totally, like, complicated?" he asked.

"Because…" Amanda trailed, not completing her thought. Jimmy rolled his eyes and grabbed his dinner from the microwave and took a seat across from Amanda. "You wouldn't mind having a little sister?" she questioned after about five minutes of silence.

"I heard younger sisters are better," Jimmy shrugged.

"So it's not a big deal?"

"I mean, she already lived with us for a few months and it didn't really bother me."

"But if your father and I actually adopt her, it'll be official. She'd live here well after you and Tracey move out. That wouldn't bother you?"

"Why would it? Tracey and I would have moved on with our lives," he answered. "Besides, I like Erica a lot more than Tracey."

"Is it because Erica plays videogames with you?" Amanda smiled in amusement.

"Well, partially. I mean, Tracey doesn't even seem to like me."

"She seems to like you when you tag team against your dad," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's totally different. Mom, let's be completely honest. Tracey is on the internet fucking men. And I think a few girls-not that I'd know! My friends talk about it and it's totally disgusting and I don't wanna hear it, but I have no choice!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Is she really that bad?" Amanda asked in a hushed tone. Jimmy nodded in confirmation. "Shit," she cursed.

"See? This is why Erica would be a better sister. She isn't a whore."

"You took biology in high school, right?"

"Yeah, didn't you?"

"You think I ever went to class?" Amanda laughed.

"Point taken. Why'd you ask?"

"Is being a slut genetic?" Amanda queried.

"What the fuck, mom! That's not something you ask your son! It's bad enough I know what you did back then, but do you have to bring it up?"

"Well, sorry, didn't know if I should be held responsible," Amanda scoffed.

"Anyway," Jimmy interjected as he hated to fight with his mother. He didn't mind getting into quarrels with his father or get into screaming matches with his sister. Like many boys, Jimmy had a special place for his mother. He would constantly justify everything she had done, including her recent cheating on Michael over the summer. He would get into fights with his sister over text messages so that their parents couldn't hear what they viewed on the subject. Tracey hated that her brother had been seemingly okay with everything and always pointed out Michael cheated first. Tracey, on the other hand, would point out that neither was right and that Michael had slept with one woman and hadn't become one of the biggest sluts of Los Santos (of course Tracey exaggerated this statement as she over exaggerated about everything). Jimmy would always counter that with saying that she was probably tied up there with their mother if that was the case. That would usually shut her up, or she'd end with the retort that she wasn't married and therefore her behavior was justifiable.

Jimmy never understood how his sister's mind worked, or his mother's for that matter. Deep down, he hated what Amanda did after she found out about Michael. It was wrong on so many levels and she had acted like a child out for revenge. He began to wonder if his parents were even that great sometimes. They definitely weren't great role models. Jimmy thought it was a miracle that he hadn't ended up being a thief like his father since Tracey definitely took after their mother. He wondered if Erica would turn out like Tracey and Amanda if things did work out and she was adopted.

Jimmy's response was interrupted with Tracey entering the room and it was obvious she had heard their conversation since it looked like she had been crying. It was one of the few times that Jimmy wished he could take back calling his sister a whore. This was because he had said it genuinely and he hadn't said it to hurt her like he did in some of their fights. This was different and he felt like a horrible brother at that moment. "Just don't mess up again if you adopt her," Tracey said to Amanda. "You and dad fucked up the first time. Don't do it again."

"Stop it, Tracey," Jimmy warned. He didn't even want his food anymore and pushed it aside.

"Shut the fuck up, Jimmy," she glared at him. He stood up and glared back even if he did look ridiculous doing it.

"Make me. I may be a fat-ass, but I could probably kick yours."

"I'd like to see you try," Tracey challenged.

"Enough! Both of you!" Amanda said, but her words went unheard or ignored by the two siblings.

"It's not mom or dad's fault that you're a slut. That's your own. Just like it's my fault for being lazy." He had this revelation towards the end of the summer when he started going for bike rides and working out in his bedroom. He hadn't done this in a while, but had plans to start up again and motivate himself to get a real job, not the horrible part time one he currently had. He did want to move out eventually and move on with his life. He figured he still had a couple more years left at home though. "Stop blaming mom for shit you do."

"That's enough!" Amanda yelled. "Okay, I know that we aren't the most…conventional family, but we've stuck together this long. Now, let me get back to this…whatever it is!" she said looking back at the computer screen.

"Amanda!" Michael shouted when he arrived home which Jimmy was grateful for so he didn't have to continue fighting with his loudmouthed sister.

"In here!" Amanda yelled back.

"Manda, how fast can you pack?"

"Pack what?" she questioned.

"A suitcase. Like your clothes and shit."

"Why? Michael, you better not still be doing that crap. You said you're done with all of that!"

"No, no, nothing like that. Trevor called me after work-"

"It is, isn't it? Seriously, Michael, we're trying to get full, if not, partial custody of Erica and all you do is rob and murder people."

"Jesus, will you let me finish?"

"Go on," she urged.

"Erica has been calling Trevor practically every day. She just called him and told him what happened last night. We have to get her fucking out of there," Michael explained.

"What happened?" Tracey was the first to ask.

"Her mother's new boyfriend hurt her. Her mother did nothing to stop it. She just watched," he explained as calmly as he could without throwing something across the room in anger. Jimmy felt sick. How could a grown man hurt a little girl? Erica wasn't even threatening! She was smaller than most kids her age, too. And to think that her mother-his aunt- just sat there and watched it all unfold was even more nauseating. Sure, his parents were rather dysfunctional, but the moment someone else laid a hand on him, he knew both of his parents would fight for him (although he knew one would be successful and the other would probably get beat up herself if she intervened).

"Fuck," Amanda cursed. "How bad?"

"She told him she just has bruises," Michael replied. "Manda, we are getting full custody of this kid with no visitation rights from her mother."

"You can't just rip her mother out of her life," Amanda tried to reason, unable to comprehend her sister would do this knowing that child services would take her away again, if not, permanently.

"Trevor said a woman like her shouldn't be a mother and I actually agree with him. I'm sorry, Amanda, but your sister is…not fit to take care of Erica. She needs serious help. Obviously getting rid of the heroin problem didn't get rid of the big problem."

"You're right. But I've been reading all this stuff and it won't be easy to get custody," Amanda said and pointed at the laptop.

"Mom's been reading about laws and crap," Jimmy put in.

"Well that's not something you see every day," Michael chuckled at his wife's expense but redeemed himself before she could get angry by standing behind her and leaning down to kiss her cheek. "But if we get up there fast enough, we can get her examined by a doctor and get documentation that she was abused. Maybe we could take some pictures of the bruises ourselves to have our own evidence as back up."

"With Elizabeth's history, it would be like really east to get Erica, right?" Tracey asked.

"Not quite, but it would speed things up," Michael said.

"I bet if you threaten her with lawyers and legal stuff, I bet you could get her to sign over custody pretty fast," Tracey said and Michael smiled at her, proud of his daughter for using her brain. It was one of the few times he wasn't looking down at his daughter lately.

"That's exactly what we're gonna do," Michael said. Tracey actually blushed, much to Jimmy's amusement, before looking down at the floor. Since when had his sister ever looked down? She was usually full of confidence no matter what the situation and always held her head up high. She was definitely changing, and Jimmy wasn't entirely sure if he liked it or not.

"Give me tonight to pack and we'll go in the morning," Amanda decided. Jimmy had a feeling his mother would be up all night packing before the trip to North Yankton. She was rather vain and had rather large suitcases like his sister. She always tended to over pack rather than pack what a normal human being would. She would always say how she needed options just in case something came up. Jimmy recalled a family vacation they took when he was fifteen. His mother and Tracey packed so much stuff, his father had to strategically pack the car for everything to fit. He wondered what his mother had been like back when they used to live in North Yankton. Those memories of when they had little money were poor despite him being around eleven when they moved to LS.

"Sounds good," Michael replied before going outside to make a phone call. Jimmy assumed he was going to call Trevor about their plans to leave in the morning.

"You kids will be driving us to the airport," Amanda pointed out.

"Oh man, seriously? Can't Tracey just do it?" he whined.

"No, both of you will."

"Mom, I'd rather drive you guys without him," Tracey said.

"Both of you are coming. I'll need help with my bags and Michael can't carry all of them. It'll just be easier. Just do this for me, please."

"Fine," Tracey and Jimmy said in unison. Tracey glared at him while he made a face.

"Yeah, having Erica around again will be so much better. She's my favorite sister," Jimmy laughed.

* * *

Thanks again to all of you wonderful people! Just two chapters and the epilogue left!


	21. Chapter 21

It wasn't every day that there was a knock on the door. If there was, it was usually bad because that would mean Child Protective Services was at the door to take her away from her mother. Erica knew she had to answer the door because whoever it was would come in anyway. The nine year old stood on shaky legs and unlocked the door to open it. When she saw that it was Amanda and Michael standing there, shivering from the North Yankton cold, she smiled at them. If she had been back in Los Santos, perhaps she would have hugged them. However, she did notice that she was avoiding body contact again. She couldn't bring herself to hug them, more so because she was still sore from the other night. "Please, come in," she said, standing aside to let in her aunt and uncle. She didn't notice the look of confusion on either of their faces when she invited them to come sit on the couch while she took a fold out chair.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," she said, crossing her legs and looking like a mini adult all over again. She was surprised to see Amanda have tears in her eyes when she looked at her. What had Erica done to make her upset? She stood up and stood in front of her aunt. She sucked up the uncomfortable feeling and climbed up onto the couch in between them. Hesitantly, Erica hugged Amanda. She flinched when she felt Amanda's arms hug her back, but she relaxed when she forced herself to remember that her aunt and uncle never hurt her.

"Now why would you think that? We told you we'd see you again," Michael replied. Erica turned to him and hugged him.

"I don't know. My mommy doesn't like that you were so nice to me I think," Erica pointed out.

"Speaking of her, where is she?" Amanda questioned.

"She's out." Erica had no idea where her mother was. There were a number of places she could be and most of said places weren't the safest and the red head would never go trudging into that territory. She did wonder when her mother was getting home, though. When she got home from school, she had been gone. The girl was happy about this because she didn't mind having the trailer to herself. When she was home alone, she didn't have to comfort her mother or make her feel better about the mistakes she made; she didn't have to see her mother's new boyfriend because he'd never come over when it was just Erica as he hated her.

"You mean she just left you home alone?" Amanda asked incredulously.

"I told you, remember? I can take care of myself," Erica smiled. "I never needed a babysitter. But Ashley was a nice babysitter. I liked her."

"Yeah, Ashley's a good kid," Michael agreed.

"How have you been? How's school?" Amanda asked.

"School's school," Erica rolled her eyes. "I've been okay. Trevor told me not to tell my mommy, but he didn't say anything about you guys. But he gave me one of those gift cards you can use anywhere so I don't have to be hungry!" she exclaimed, too excitedly for a little girl who should have never had to experience hunger.

"Yeah, T's been telling me you've been calling him a lot," Michael said.

"Don't feel bad that I didn't call you," Erica said. "Please don't. I should've called but I was…I was really mad."

"At us?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah. I was mad because you sent me here. I was mad because you made me come home when I was really happy with you guys. But I get why you sent me back here. I belong here," Erica shrugged. "My mommy needs me."

"Erica, we came here because Trevor told us that you told him your mother's new boyfriend hurt you," Michael said slowly. Erica bit her lower lip and looked down at the ground. She knew she should have kept that to herself. She wished she hadn't gotten so emotional the other day. If only she had kept quiet; if only she kept it a secret. She thought Trevor understood where she was coming from since he revealed to have a somewhat similar childhood.

"Sweetie, how about you and me go into your bedroom," Amanda suggested.

"Why?" Erica questioned.

"I need to see if what he said is true," she replied. Erica looked down at her feet, realizing her defeat as she led Amanda into her bedroom. She stood in the middle of the room with her head down. Amanda knelt in front of her and asked her to push up the sleeves on her dress. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Erica did as she was told and shook. She didn't like this at all and she had to stop the negative thoughts running through her head. She revealed the bruises on her forearms to her aunt. "Oh my God," Amanda whispered as she inspected the bruises. "Sweetie, I'm going to ask you to show me your thighs, okay? Can you do that?" Erica nodded and pulled down her tights and pulled her dress up high enough for Amanda to see. She felt incredibly vulnerable, but it was over rather quickly with Amanda sighing with relief at the absence of bruises on that part of her body.

"I told Trevor not to tell," she said to her. "He promised he wouldn't. He lied to me."

"Erica, I'm glad Trevor had enough sense to tell Michael," Amanda explained. "I hate that man, but I'm grateful he broke that promise."

"Why? Now you know and now you're gonna try and take me from my mommy."

"Didn't you want to stay with Michael and me?"

"I did, but now that I'm back, my mommy really needs me. Who else is gonna make sure she sleeps in her bed instead of the floor? Who else is gonna make sure she's okay when she's crying?" Erica queried.

"That shouldn't be your responsibility," Amanda explained. "I can't let you stay here anyway. It wouldn't be right."

"How come?"

"Because he hurt you," Amanda replied.

"He did, but it's okay."

"Erica, it's never okay. Nobody should ever hit you or hurt you like that."

"Then why does my mommy let it happen to me?" Erica questioned. If it was that bad, obviously her mother wouldn't let it happen, right? She was confused when Amanda's eyes were watery for a moment. She was brought into a tight hug. She hugged her back and wished that her own mother would do this to her. She longed to be hugged by the woman ever since she returned from Los Santos.

"That scar on your arm…is that true?"

"I guess I can't tell Trevor secrets," Erica said and gave her a small smile when she looked her in the eyes.

"Not when it comes to your safety," Amanda said. "Come on," she stood and held out her hand. Erica took it and left her bedroom, but not before picking up the pink teddy bear she had grown to love. She was thankful that her mother hadn't thrown it away. When she had first seen it, Elizabeth had hated it but Erica liked to believe that her mother let her keep it because she loved the stuffed animal and it made Elizabeth feel good to see her daughter happy.

"How'd it go?" Michael asked Amanda quietly when she sat down. Erica strained to hear their conversation since Amanda was sitting in the middle. The girl wished she was in the middle so she could hear what they were talking about. Amanda said something about her bruises, but said she was relieved when she didn't find any bruises where they were afraid of them being on her body. Erica shrugged it off and decided to climb onto Michael's lap. She wasn't sure what was going on and he just made her feel safe and more secure when she thought about the unknown.

"Erica, why is there a red car out there?" Elizabeth yelled into the house. When she didn't get a response, she shouted, "You better fucking be home this time!"

"Right here, mommy!" Erica said and scrambled over towards her mother. "I was on the couch." Elizabeth craned her neck and saw her sister standing up alongside her husband and made the few steps it took towards the door.

"Mandy?" Elizabeth said. It was the first time she saw her sister in years. Erica watched her mother look her up and down, grimacing when she looked at her. "You got them bigger? Seriously? You should have just kept your small tits. They looked better than those things."

"You look good," Amanda tried.

"Don't I always?" Elizabeth smiled. "Can't believe you'd stop by and give me a visit. You've taken me by surprise! I apologize that the place isn't cleaner. Should have warned me."

"Yeah, we should have," Amanda replied.

"Hey, Michael. I think we only met once."

"A few times," Michael smiled. "Nice seeing you again."

"Let's all go out to the bar!"

"Doesn't seem like that would be too fun for Erica," Amanda pointed out. Erica wondered why Amanda thought that she'd be included; in North Yankton, she never was and most likely never will be. And why was her mother being so friendly? Was she really that desperate to be around her older sister? It seemed like it by the way she was looking at her despite their obvious painful phone conversations while Erica was in LS.

"She can stay here," Elizabeth said quickly.

"Surely you're joking," Amanda said.

"Why would I?"

"You can't leave her here on her own. She's only nine," Amanda said as nicely as she could. Erica began to see that her aunt wasn't as happy as she was making herself seem to Elizabeth. Underneath the fake smile and friendly body language, she was enraged.

"She's fine on her own," Elizabeth said. "Besides, mom left us home alone when we were nine so it's fine."

"You know it's not fine. Just because mom did it doesn't make it right."

"Mom did her best with what she had, just like I am. If you didn't fuck every man that came across your path you'd be right where I am," Elizabeth replied with a nasty tone in her voice. Erica could tell that her mother did some kind of drug by the look in her eyes. It was kicking in and hitting her all at once. One of two things could happen: she'd break down and cry or become angry and scary. It didn't take Erica long to make the conclusion that she was going to be scary.

"Lizzy, mom would hit us, remember? She wasn't a good mother," Amanda reminded her. Erica's eyes went wide and she looked up at Amanda. She had been hit as a child? Just like she had? The red head looked down at the floor feeling horrible about herself. She was always saying how Trevor understood where she was coming from, but this entire time Amanda had as well, if not more than him. Despite being close with Amanda, Erica hadn't felt a real connection with her until that moment. Erica wanted to be like Amanda and overcome this horrible cycle of abuse. She was going to be better than her mother.

"I don't hit the kid," Elizabeth yelled. "I never hurt her! Ever!"

"But you tried to put a fucking needle in her arm!" Amanda yelled back.

"You weren't supposed to tell you little brat! Always causing trouble! Always doing the wrong thing!" Elizabeth yelled at her daughter. She grabbed Erica roughly by the arm, digging her nails into her arm. Erica didn't allow herself to cry out because her mother wouldn't be happy if she did such a thing.

"Whoa!" Michael spoke up. "Get your hands off of her!" He proceeded to get Erica out of her grip and picked her up.

"Put her the fuck down! She's my daughter and I can do what I want with that brat!"

"Elizabeth, we're here to take Erica," Amanda said with anger in her eyes. This woman most definitely wasn't her little sister that she remembered. Taken aback, Elizabeth glared at her.

"You can't fucking take her," she hissed.

"And why not?" Erica could tell the two were both a bit hotheaded.

"Because she's mine." Elizabeth and Amanda continued to argue. Erica couldn't watch as she didn't want her mother to find out that she desperately wanted Amanda to win the argument. She could tell Michael was restraining himself from interfering as one of the adults there had to make sure Erica wasn't caught in the middle. She was thankful when he carried her into her room. He shut the door and sat in silence with her as they heard the muffled yells from the main area.

Meanwhile, Tracey stayed late on campus because she knew Jaylen had a class that got out at five thirty. She wondered if she was doing the right thing by waiting for him by the parking garage. She couldn't believe that she actually cared about him this much. Her philosophy had always been that boys were replaceable. She had lived by this and was usually the one who lost interest in the relationship before diving right into a new one a few days later. She hated herself for ruining the beginnings of a relationship with Jaylen. It occasionally kept her up at night. She had thought about texting him that her parents weren't home and that he could spend the night. However, Tracey stopped herself from doing so as he didn't like that about her.

Jaylen was so much different than the boys she dated in the past. All of this was new to her. Her last boyfriend loved that she was on the internet doing unmentionable things with other men. He thought it was, in his words, fucking hot.

"What are you doing here?" Jaylen spoke up when he saw her waiting. Tracey nervously rung her hands together, something she hadn't done since she was a child, and forced herself to look him in the eyes.

"Waiting for you," she said as she wanted to be completely honest with him.

"I have to go," Jaylen said and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Tracey exclaimed. "I mean, um, I need to tell you something important."

"Go on," he said and nervously darted his eyes around. She had a feeling he didn't want to be seen with her and that did hurt her a little bit.

"Like I never really pursued a guy before. I mean, guys usually pursue me and stuff. Um, I guess what I'm trying to say is I really like you, Jaylen. You are so not like the other guys I've been with. You treat me like a person and that doesn't happen a lot," Tracey explained quickly. She had a feeling she sounded like that stupid typical blonde that she usually was, and she wasn't too happy about how she sounded. When she spoke, she realized her voice sounded rather preppy. It wasn't that she was trying to sound like that, but it truly was her own voice and it was just a coincidence it went along with the fake personality she presented. She had a feeling this lowered her credibility when explaining this to him.

"I have to go," Jaylen said, trying to leave, but Tracey was stubborn and reached out to grab his wrist.

"Please don't go," she said close to tears. She wasn't entirely sure why she was about to cry since she usually had temper tantrums when she didn't get what she want. This time, she realized, was different; she was hurt. She would have just kissed him, but that wouldn't have been right. He probably would have pushed her away and called her a whore before walking quickly to his car. No, she thought, he was much more of a gentleman than to do something like that. "Look, I told those porn producers I'm not doing that anymore. I'm done with it. I don't want to do it anymore."

"You said that last time," Jaylen said to her. "How can I trust that time was the last one?"

"Because that was the last one. I told them I quit and they said they'd pay me, like, a lot of money for one last video. So I did it. And I regret it."

"So basically, you think it's okay to do something degrading for money," he pointed out.

"I don't think it's okay; not anymore. But what do you expect? My mom was a stripper until I was like five. She rented our house to porn producers last summer. I mean, I really didn't think about it when I did that stuff."

"Seriously? Your mom doesn't seem like she'd do any of that," Jaylen responded.

"You have to understand something. For the first twelve or thirteen years of my life, I grew up poor in a fucking trailer park. You can take a girl out of a trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the girl."

"I didn't have the most ideal childhood until I was adopted," Jaylen pointed out.

"But your dads are normal!" Tracey exclaimed. "My parents are the definition of dysfunction. Not long ago, my mom found my dad cheating on her so then she spread her legs wide open to all of Los Santos." Tracey took a deep breath to calm down. "My parents just fixed their relationship like eight months ago. Nothing is normal about me or my family. We're like one big ball of dysfunction."

"Maybe I could use some dysfunction in my life," Jaylen smiled and took her hands in his own. She looked up at him and felt her face heat up and she immediately knew she was blushing.

"Does that mean…" she trailed.

"Let's give it another shot. Just no more porn, please."

"It's a deal."

Erica was sick and tired of the fighting going on outside of her bedroom. She was grateful that Michael was in her room with her so that she wasn't afraid. Instead, she was incredibly angry. She didn't like it when her mother or her aunt yelled. Michael knew this was his wife's battle to fight, not his. Erica flopped onto her bed beside Michael, face first, and let out a frustrated scream into the blanket. She heard her mother call her name a number of times. She looked up at Michael and sighed before exiting her small bedroom. She walked over to her mother dutifully and stood in front of her. "I'm going to give you a choice."

"Elizabeth, don't," Amanda said to her, most likely knowing what was going to be said.

"Shut it," she snapped at her older sister. "You can choose to live with me or you can choose to live with them." Erica was at a loss for words. How could she possibly make this choice? It only got harder when her mother told her to think carefully because if she chooses her, she'd never see Amanda and Michael again or if she chose them, Erica would never be able to see her mother again. Amanda spoke up, saying that those conditions weren't true, but all Elizabeth did was state Erica's options again.

Erica would admit she most likely would have chosen to stay with her mother if there weren't those conditions. She couldn't go the rest of her life never seeing the De Santa's again but she also couldn't go through her life without seeing her mother. It wasn't an easy choice and her mother pressuring her to make that choice didn't make it any easier.

But when she looked over to Amanda, she remembered what it was like to be cared about; she remembered how she didn't have to sneak food but at the same time, the freedom that she enjoyed while living with her mother was absent. Then again, she didn't want to get hurt anymore. She remembered the look of shock and sadness on Amanda's face when she saw those bruises. She remembered how her mother just sat on the couch and watched this new boyfriend of hers hit her daughter.

Erica looked back up to her mother who gave her a cold look. Elizabeth didn't care about her, so why did she want her so badly? And why make up these conditions? Elizabeth would remind Erica how she was a mistake and how she wasn't wanted-going as far as to calling her an accident. Amanda never said those cruel words to her. She always made sure Erica felt safe and loved, which had been foreign concepts to her before she went to Los Santos. "Well?" Elizabeth said. "We're all waiting here for your fucking answer. Hurry it up, you little brat!" If Elizabeth had any social skills at all, Erica thought she'd at least try to be nice to her to win her over. The red head knew she wasn't important enough to her mother. It would be hard going the rest of her life without seeing her, but it would be even harder to go without Amanda's kind words of encouragement, watching old movies with Michael, getting beauty tips from Tracey, playing Mario Kart with Jimmy, and she'd definitely miss seeing Trevor and his craziness as well as his more serious side when she talked to him about things. There simply was too much to give up by staying with Elizabeth who would laugh at her when she fell. She certainly wouldn't miss anyone in North Yankton, that's for sure.

Erica took a few steps away from her mother. "Why do you want me so bad?" Erica questioned her mother with tears in her eyes.

"Because all Amanda wants is to redeem herself from failing me when I was young. Isn't that right, Mandy?" Elizabeth sneered. "She doesn't really want you. If she did, why did she take so fucking long to meet you? It was only after I called and begged her to take you that she finally did."

"What is wrong with you?" Amanda questioned her sister.

"Nothing," Elizabeth shrugged. "Just telling the kid the truth. I always tell you the truth, Erica."

Erica continued to back away from her mother. Even if she was telling the truth, she honestly didn't care. She was over this horrible woman who never did a thing for her. "No," Erica said with tears in her eyes.

"You're choosing them?" Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "You're just a fucking failed abortion."

"Enough!" Michael yelled. Erica turned from her mother and rushed over to Amanda who quickly brought her into a hug. "We'll see you in court."

"You can't just take her now!" Elizabeth yelled. "I'll have the fucking police come after you!"

"Sure you will. But we'll be out of here and down at the hospital getting a fucking doctor to look her over!"

"No you won't!" Elizabeth screeched. "You won't! And Erica, I hope you're happy with this stupid decision of yours. You will never, ever see me again if I lose custody of you, do you hear me?"

Erica turned herself around and stood close to Amanda. She clutched her aunt's hand before saying, "That's a dream come true."

* * *

Thanks to all my wonderful readers and reviewers! Sorry it's been over a week since I last updated but school's keeping me really busy :(


	22. Chapter 22

As much as Amanda disliked her sister for saying such cruel things to Erica about a week ago, she didn't feel right taking her sister to court and ripping Erica away from her when she so desperately wanted her. Amanda knew she shouldn't be feeling this way and should just wait the month until their court date to settle everything there in front of a judge. However, it just didn't seem right. Elizabeth had obvious problems and she probably didn't know what she was doing was wrong. It pained her to see Erica so upset over her mother calling her such a horrible name: a failed abortion. Amanda had to admit that she married a successful bank robber who murdered so many people she didn't even know if it was thirty or three hundred people-or more, but she never could imagine calling a little girl that. The sick part was, Amanda had a feeling it was true since her sister admitted to self-aborting babies. Amanda wondered how many times Elizabeth got pregnant.

She knocked on the trailer door and waited. Elizabeth answered the door and frowned when she saw who it was. She watched her take a swig of the bottle in her hand and Amanda had to stop herself from cringing when she remembered her own mother doing the same. "What? Did you come to take my home, too?"

"Lizzy, I want to talk to you," Amanda pleaded.

"Well, what if I don't wanna talk?" Elizabeth replied.

"It'll be quick I promise."

"Fine," Elizabeth finally said after thirty seconds of silence. "Go on."

"Can't we go outside? It's cold out here."

"What? Not used to North Yankton anymore? No, we stay outside. You aren't welcome in my home anymore. Now get on with it. Make it quick," she snapped.

"Okay," Amanda replied. She controlled her anger so that she didn't start anything. The situation was bad enough. Amanda couldn't imagine someone taking Tracey or Jimmy away from her. The difference was that she loved her kids whether they made the honor roll or messed up. "I want to talk to you about Erica."

"You have to take her away from me when she's all I got. Just because I don't have a fancy mansion in Rockford Hills doesn't mean that I'm not a fucking mother," she spat.

"Calm down, Lizzy. I don't care that you live in a fucking trailer park. If you were nice and loved your daughter, I wouldn't be bringing you to court. But the fact is, you hurt her," Amanda retorted.

"I don't hurt that girl," Elizabeth hissed.

"You do every single day," Amanda narrowed her eyes. "When I saw you grab her last week like that, it fucking scared me. And you just don't hurt her physically. How do you think she feels when you call her a failed abortion? That's just taking it too far. You might as well just say you wish she was dead! I don't even know why you want to challenge us and keep her if all you do is neglect and hurt the girl!"

"Do you want to know something about this girl? Hmm? Her father raped me. Yeah, that's right. He fucking drugged me and raped me. So excuse me if she's hard to look at," Elizabeth replied with tears in her eyes.

"Lizzy, I had no idea…" Amanda trailed, her voice going softer. "Why didn't you say anything back then?"

"There wasn't anyone to tell," she shrugged. "Besides, who would have believed me?"

"I would have."

"Oh, bullshit," Elizabeth said. "You weren't even around."

"I was. I left a little bit after she was born, remember?"

"Oh yes, because you were around so fucking much while you still lived here. You didn't give a crap about me."

"I had a family! I was struggling to feed two kids and was worried out of my mind about Michael when he was out. I had a lot going on, Elizabeth."

"Too busy to even give me a phone call? Write a letter? Fuck, you could have stopped by once in a while."

"Listen, Lizzy, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have distanced myself from you like that. I'm sorry, okay? But that doesn't give you the right to treat Erica like shit. I'm sorry you were raped and I wish I could have been there for you so you wouldn't have to suffer alone," Amanda said.

"Want to know the worst part? She fucking loved that cocksucker. He was barely around and she adored him. How do you think that made me feel? After he died, she would yell at me and say she wished her father was still alive so she could escape from me."

"Maybe if you were nice to her, she wouldn't have been interested in her father," Amanda pointed out. "You can't just blame him for how you treat her. It's horrible what happened to you, Lizzy, but Erica's here whether you like it or not. You can't take it out on her."

"I'm going to win this, you hear me? Erica is mine and you aren't going to see her again."

"I don't understand why you want her so much if you don't even love her."

"She's all I've got! That's it!"

"Then why can't you love her? Why can't you care about her?"

"I already told you a while ago. She's just like how I was," Lizzy replied and started to cry. She threw the bottle of alcohol past Amanda, the glass shattering on the frozen ground. She slid down the side of the trailer's door and sat on the small porch area. Amanda felt bad for her sister despite everything and sat leaning against the trailer beside her. She wrapped her arm around her like she used to back when they were kids.

"Come with us to Los Santos. We have more than enough room for you to stay with us," Amanda offered.

"No," Elizabeth replied. "Thanks but no. I don't belong there. I can't live with you knowing that Erica loves you and not me. It hurts enough already."

"Please don't make this harder than it has to be. Just sign over your parental rights. I won't keep her from seeing you. I will never, ever keep her away. I just can't leave her here knowing that she'd get hurt all over again."

"How bad was it? When you went to the hospital, I mean. What did they say?" Elizabeth whispered.

"She was definitely abused," Amanda replied. "And…there's a reason why they haven't forced her to come home, Lizzy. They found a bruise I didn't see."

"What do you mean?"

"They did a rape kit."

"He didn't rape her," Elizabeth said sternly. "I know he didn't hurt her like that."

"He didn't rape her, but he attempted to touch her, according to the doctors."

"Fuck…no…fuck!" Elizabeth cried into her sister's chest. "I never wanted that to happen. You have to believe me."

"I know you didn't. But she still got hurt and you allowed it to get that far; you couldn't protect her," Amanda explained. "But I can. She was so happy when she stayed with us. Lizzy, you know deep down that the best thing for Erica is to give her up. If you really, truly care about her, you'd sign her over. I promise you she'll be loved like a child should be, she'll always have food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in, all the toys she could want, and she'll be so happy." Elizabeth was completely silent. She sat there without saying a word for about a good five minutes. She hung onto Amanda for dear life.

"If I do this, I don't want to see her again. It'll be too painful, Mandy. If I give her up, I'm really giving her up for good. No summer vacations, no weekend visits, nothing. If I want her out, she's out of my life and I'm out of her life."

"You can't be serious," Amanda replied.

"It'll be easier that way."

"For who?"

"Just promise me you'll give her everything I can't," Elizabeth whispered. "Please, Mandy."

"I promise, Lizzy," Amanda said not knowing what else to say.

"I'll sign the papers tomorrow."

"I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"It was bound to happen," Lizzy shrugged. "I just thought it would be the state or whatever that took her away. At least she'll be staying with people who give a shit about her."

"See? You do care about her," Amanda smiled.

"Make sure she doesn't turn out like me. Make sure she does something with her life. Make sure you love her like I can't."

"I do love Erica," Amanda said and let Elizabeth put her head on her shoulder. "If you ever want to come back into her life, let me know and we'll arrange something, okay?"

"I need to get better," she shook. "I-I need to be okay."

"I think that's a great idea," Amanda encouraged. She hated seeing her sister look so fragile and timid. It was obvious she could control her emotions as she wasn't lashing out at Amanda. Although, maybe there was something deeper there going undiagnosed. Amanda wondered if this could be the case, but dropped the thought when she told herself that she shouldn't be diagnosing anyone with mental issues, especially when she probably had something herself. Or did she? She really had to stop questioning herself and stop thinking so much. She was going to get custody of Erica and that was all that matters. Her sister had her chance to redeem herself and be a good mother after she got out of rehab this time, but she ultimately failed. Elizabeth would probably always be an unfit mother. It was rather unfortunate and it hurt Amanda that Erica would be growing up without her in her life.

"Text me where and when to meet you tomorrow. I don't have anything going on. I will sign those papers. I never even wanted Erica anyway." Although one would think she was telling the truth, Amanda had a feeling deep down that she desperately wanted Erica but didn't have the means to care for her. She was, in lack of a better term, incapable.

At around the same time the next day, Amanda waited with Michael in the lawyer's office for her sister. Erica was present as there wasn't anyone to watch her, so she was forced to sit on Michael's lap to keep the third chair empty for her mother. They were getting worried that Elizabeth wouldn't show as she was over fifteen minutes late. Erica stood up and walked around the office and looked at the pictures as Amanda and Michael engaged in small talk with the lawyer. They were eagerly waiting for Elizabeth to show up to sign these papers.

Erica heard Amanda's phone go off and she announced that Elizabeth was in the elevator and on her way. The red head looked down at her dark long sleeved purple dress that came to just above her knees. She made sure her black tights were spotless. She wanted her mother to think she was pretty. She didn't know why she wanted the approval of someone who claimed she didn't want to see her again after this, but she thought she had been just angry the other day. Sure, Elizabeth was ignoring her phone calls, but that was to be expected. Her mother hated talking on the phone.

Erica smiled broadly when Elizabeth entered the room. She rushed to her and almost hugged her, but then remembered her mother didn't really like when she touched her except when she was drunk and upset. The girl's smile fell when Elizabeth was pretending she didn't exist. "Hi, mommy," she tried in her sweetest voice.

"Where do I sign?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Come have a seat, Elizabeth," the lawyer said. She walked right passed her daughter and sat down. Erica looked down at the floor before climbing onto Michael's lap. She was glad Amanda was seated in between Michael and Elizabeth so that she didn't have to sit next to her mother. The woman wouldn't even glance at her. The lawyer was talking about things Erica didn't quite understand so she tuned it out. She rested her head against Michael's chest. Amanda would occasionally look over at her sadly fully understanding she was upset.

Erica decided to focus on other things for the moment as she didn't want to break down crying in front of her mother. This was because she didn't want her mother to think she had any kind of power over her. In fact, Erica thought, she wasn't even going to be her mother anymore. The woman who sat in the chair to her right who traded in her jeans for a black skirt and her boots for businesslike heels for this meeting was going to be her mother. And the man in the suit (who always seemed to wear one) was going to be her father. It was exciting while it was scary. She couldn't explain all of her emotions in the moment, but just settled on focusing on the ground.

"So that's it then?" Elizabeth queried.

"That's it. Your sister and her husband are now legally Erica's parents and responsible for her," the lawyer replied in his deep voice.

"That was easier than I thought it was going to be," Elizabeth said.

"Yes, well, everyone cooperated so that's usually in everyone's best interest! Mr. De Santa, I'll give you a call once everything's been processed. Then you can take your daughter back to LS whenever you'd like," the lawyer smiled.

"All right," Michael said and patted Erica to stand up. She complied and stood so he could stand and give the lawyer a handshake. "Thanks for everything and meeting with us today on such short notice."

"Not a problem. And congratulations you two. And I'm terribly sorry about the circumstances, Elizabeth, but I am glad that you want what's best for your daughter." And with that said, Erica followed Amanda out of the lawyer's office. She turned around to see her mother, but Amanda ushered her into the elevator with Michael. Elizabeth actually got in with them and remained silent.

"Mommy?" Erica said from her corner.

"I didn't even want to see you today. So don't make this harder than it is."

"Elizabeth, stop it," Amanda said to her sister.

"Stop what? She's your problem now," Elizabeth replied as she got out of the elevator and out the doors of the office building. Erica watched as Amanda quickly caught up to her while she stayed behind with Michael who was controlling his temper.

"Can't you just say goodbye to her properly? Give her at least one good memory before you run off?" Amanda questioned.

"No," Elizabeth replied. "No. We discussed this. Just let me go, Mandy."

"At least give her a hug or something!"

"I can't do that. I never could. Just go take your daughter. Leave me out of her life."

"Mommy?" Erica cried once she caught up to them. Elizabeth looked down at the red head and made eye contact with her for about a minute. Erica wondered why her mother wouldn't say goodbye to her. All she wanted was to leave on good terms and maybe visit once in a while. But when she stared into those eyes, she knew this wouldn't happen. Her mother's words had been true. Erica turned around and looked up at Amanda. "Can we go back to the hotel, please? I want to start packing."

"Let's go," Amanda replied with a sad smile on her face and the three began leaving the scene. When Elizabeth shouted Amanda's name, Erica turned around abruptly before running over to her mother with tears in her eyes. She tried to hug her, but Elizabeth pushed her away. Erica watched as her mother looked at Amanda, silently pleading with her to make Erica leave her alone. All the girl wanted was just one hug from her mother before she said goodbye. Was that too much to ask? Apparently it was and she looked up at her aunt and uncle with a defeated look in her eyes. She let Michael scoop her up and she fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

"Hurry up!" Tracey ordered Trevor and Jaylen as they stood up on top of the stairs to the right to hang up a banner that read 'Welcome Home, Erica!' in bright, pink bubble letters that Tracey had made herself. She was proud of that banner as it had taken her quite a while to do. Not to mention getting all of the take out by herself, getting balloons, and decorating the entire house. She and Jimmy attempted to make a cake, but it was comical. The cake itself hadn't cooled all the way before the siblings tried to frost it and it just crumbled. Jimmy tried saving it by patching it up with frosting but it had just made it worse. Luckily with the help from his dad who was a great cook and baker, Jaylen was able to save the day and helped his dad bake a cake. Jimmy and Tracey took pictures of their horrible cake and laughed hysterically at it. Jimmy sent a picture to his dad saying that he and Tracey made a masterpiece.

"She's fucking bossier than Mikey," Trevor said just loud enough for Jaylen to hear. "Should have gone to the airport with Franklin and Jim when I had the chance. You got your work cut out for you, kid."

"Don't I know it," Jaylen joked as he finished tying his end of the banner.

"It's crooked!" Tracey screeched.

"I think it's fine," Jason shrugged as he took a bite of his celery stick.

"It's totally not straight! How could you not see it?" she pointed out to the eleven year old.

"It's a little crooked," Dinusha agreed. "But only when you look for it."

"So you don't think it's obvious?" Tracey queried.

"No," Dinusha shook her head. "Besides, Erica won't notice. She can't even draw a straight line with a ruler." The two men came down the stairs to admire their handiwork. Tracey's phone buzzed and she grabbed it from her back pocket. She smiled when she got the text from Jimmy saying they were about five minutes away. Her parents had no idea that they had planned a welcome home party for Erica. The siblings wanted to surprise them to show that they weren't as selfish as they thought. Well, for the most part they were but not all the time.

"Okay, they'll be here in five minutes, people!" Tracey shouted although she didn't really need to since everyone was standing at the entrance to the mansion.

"Everything's fine, babe, no need to stress," Jaylen said to her.

"I am so not stressing."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"You're fucking insane," Trevor replied.

"Oh, look who's talking," Tracey narrowed her eyes.

"I'm the sanest fucker I know," Trevor replied before taking a gulp of beer. "Isn't that right, Jaylen?"

"Totally, Trevor," he said as he shook his head with disbelief. Tracey was definitely right; if Trevor was considered part of her family, she had the weirdest most dysfunctional family out there. The creepy dude did scare him at first, but he had quickly gotten onto his good side somehow. He wasn't sure when this happened, but Trevor told him that he was also his Uncle Trevor now. Jaylen still didn't know what to think.

The door opened and Tracey hated herself because she failed to get everyone situated in just the right spot to surprise Erica and her parents. She kept her anger at bay and turned towards her cousin and now new sister who stood in the doorway. "Welcome home!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"This is all for me?" Erica questioned with disbelief. Her face lit up when she saw the banner and her smile grew when she saw Dinusha and Jason there both of whom ran up to her to give her a hug. She hugged them back and was just so happy that she wouldn't have to leave her friends.

"Of course it is! What kind of sister would I be if I didn't welcome you home?" Tracey smiled. Erica went up to the blonde and hugged her.

"Thank you," she said with glee.

"Uncle Trevor's over there pretending not to be extremely excited but he totally is," Tracey whispered to her. Erica took this as a hint to go over to Trevor who stood away from all of the commotion. Amanda noticed Erica wander off towards Trevor and she couldn't believe how happy Erica looked when she saw him. That, and she couldn't believe Trevor Philips was in her house again. Also, she'd have to get used to Trevor Philips in her house without having a heart attack. She watched as Trevor put down his beer and held out his arms for the girl to run into. It was exceedingly strange that she wasn't afraid of the meth addicted psychopath, but she smiled despite herself when Trevor scooped Erica up into his arms and lifted her off of the ground. Amanda looked over to her daughter who was chatting with Jaylen. She desperately hoped he was the man she'd marry considering he was the only nice boy she ever brought home.

Erica was set back on her own two feet and rushed to go play with her friends. The red head was finally surrounded by people who loved and cared about her. She was going to be the kid she had become while staying in Los Santos. Sure, her new family wasn't perfect, but what family was? Erica had a mother who wanted to do things with her, a father to watch movies with, a sister who would give her fashion advice, a brother to play games with, and a psychotic Uncle Trevor. _Maybe_, she thought, _life won't be so bad anymore. It'll be like how it was this winter, but I won't have to be afraid of leaving it behind this time._

* * *

Next chapter will be the epilogue! I really want to get it up as soon as possible. My goal is within the next few days. Let's see if I can accomplish this goal!

Thanks again to all of my wonderful readers and reviewers!


	23. Epilogue

Dear Mother,

I know it's been a while since I wrote to you. I feel really bad about it. I actually don't even know if you read these letters I sent you, but I do like writing to you anyway. This one will probably be a longer one that usual because it'll be my last unless you respond. It's not a threat or anything, but it makes me really sad when I don't hear from you. And it makes Amanda sad when I ask her for a stamp to send these letters and I really don't want to make her sad anymore. I know it's been like a year and a half since I last wrote, but I have a feeling it'll still make her upset. It's not that she doesn't want me to write to you, but I think she feels bad for me because you don't ever write back. I don't expect a response anymore. I'm fourteen. I know things now and one of those things is I know that I shouldn't be hopeful. I'm not writing this for a response, but I'm writing this because I want to talk to you. I mean, I do tell Amanda pretty much everything, but it's different because you had me for the first nine years of my life; I've only been with Amanda for like less than five.

I honestly don't know if I miss you, though. I mean, we never really had a good moment together. I wished that you hugged me or told me you loved me the last day that I saw you. But that day just reminded me of how mean you were to me and I wish you could have been nice, you know? I wish you would have agreed to Amanda's idea of coming to visit me in Los Santos because I think it would have been fun. We could have gone to the beach, went to Del Perro Pier and rode the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster, and maybe gone to the movies or something. I think with that arrangement, maybe we could have been friends and had a good relationship. But it's too late now because I do those things with Amanda now and I'd never give that up (except she refuses to ride the roller coaster because sometimes she can be totally boring).

I have to admit that when I started middle school, I started referring to Amanda and Michael as my mom and dad. I don't actually call them this, but when I refer to them I do. Like when someone invites me over I say "let me ask my parents" but when I ask, I say something like "Amanda can I go over my friend's house". Does that make sense? It's just easier that way so I don't have to explain everything.

Anyway, I'll talk about me for right now because you might be wondering what I've been up to. Well, I'm still involved in the theater but I also dance now. Dancing is probably my most favorite thing ever. I love the seriousness of ballet but I also like hip hop because that's a lot of fun. I really don't do any clubs at school. I like my activities outside of school. I'm also in all honor's classes, including math. I'm not very good at math, but I want to be in honors. This way, I can take advanced placement classes my senior year so I don't have to take math in college. So basically, I get college credit. I want to take as many as I can so I can graduate from college early and then I can do this master's program that only takes a year so I can be a professional dancer and maybe an actress. Not in movies, though. I love performing live too much. I want to learn how to sing opera. Random, right? It's super challenging and I suck at it right now, but I want the challenge! Margarita (basically my mentor) says that anyone can learn, you just have to have the will.

What else have I done? Well, one day, my mom and I (there I go again; I'm referring to Amanda. I'm writing in pen and crossing things out just looks super ugly) went horseback riding. She's funny because she always wants to try new things. I think it's because she doesn't work and gets really bored so she drags me to do all these funny activities with her. So, we go horseback riding most Sundays. I like it because it's relaxing. You should try it sometime. I think you'd really like it! She's definitely been more clingy to me ever since Tracey and Jimmy moved out. It's kind of annoying sometimes because hello, I'm fourteen! I need my space. But I don't complain and just let her enjoy it. I mean, I'm very grateful for everything my parents did and do for me. Amanda and Michael are great people and I wish you could have realized it.

My dad (Michael) is still a movie producer and he always says when I'm older I can star in his movies. But I want nothing to do with the Vinewood life. I want to be on stage in Liberty City! Anyway, sometimes I'll go golfing with him and Uncle Trevor (you probably remember him from my previous letters assuming you actually read them). Golf is incredibly boring but they let me drive the golf cart so who can pass that up? Dad (I mean Michael) won't let me drive his real car yet even though I think I'm fully capable, you know? Don't tell him, but sometimes Uncle Trevor lets me drive his truck when I visit him at his trailer! He says I'm a great driver and I totally believe him.

Speaking of Tracey earlier, she got married to Jaylen. My friend, Dinusha (and his sister) saw it coming ever since we first saw them together. She got married about a year ago and I wish you came. We sent you an invitation, but you never showed up. Why? I mean, it was a super fun wedding. And I got to sing during the after party thing. I think it's called a reception. I made Uncle Trevor dance with me and I swear the man has two left feet. You should have seen Tracey's dress. It was so pretty and over the top, but she is over the top so it looked great on her. Now we're just waiting for her to start having babies but she says that'll never happen. Yeah, right. I give her another couple years max before she starts having them. Oh yeah, and she was the first person in our family to graduate from college! How awesome is that?

Jimmy somehow has a girlfriend. None of us are sure how, but she's also into videogames. Hopefully they both keep their jobs and their apartment and don't get super addicted to videogames and lose everything. I saw that on TV once and it was kind of shocking that some people died because they refused to get up to eat and drink and stuff and stayed in front of the computer playing games. How weird is that? Kind of sad, too. So far he and his girlfriend are doing great and my mom is waiting for him to propose (oops, Amanda. See? I do that a lot).

What else? Oh, everyone things my friend Jason and I are dating. We're only friends! I don't know how many times I need to remind people of that. Dinusha says me and him will get married someday and I'm kind of scared because she's usually right about that stuff. At least it's Jason, though. I'd rather marry my best friend anyway. I mean, the thing is I really want to focus on my career which is why I don't date right now. Of course, dad is super happy about this and gets happy when I say I'm going to be career oriented.

I really am working really hard to be a dancer. I'm going to do it and my name will be in lights in Liberty City. So, if you ever do go to Liberty City in like ten years and you see Erica De Santa in bright lights and posters everywhere, I'd love for you to come see my show. I doubt you will, but I'm foolish enough to hope for that.

But the thing is I think it's time for me to let go of you. I honestly don't really remember too much about anything from North Yankton. All my memories are painful and I tend to avoid them unless I visit the school psychologist when things are bothering me. I think this letter for me is some form of closure. I already feel better writing to you and at this point I know you won't respond but there is a small chance you might read it. Am I repeating myself? I'm not really sure at this point.

Anyway, I know we didn't really leave on the best of terms. I mean, you didn't want anything to do with me. I hate that you did that and I probably always will even though I'm trying to forgive you for it. Maybe someday I'll understand why you did what you did and I can move on from feeling this way. But I'd like to thank you. Does that make sense? I want to thank you for giving me up and letting me live with Amanda and Michael. They make me happy. I'm glad to call them my mom and dad. And I'm glad to call Tracey and Jimmy my sister and brother. I'm glad I don't have to worry about things other than my schoolwork and dancing. I can be a normal teenager. So, thank you for making it possible the day you signed me over.

My feelings about you are so jumbled up right now. Maybe you're right; we're better off never talking or seeing each other again. I think I can live with that despite everything else I wrote before. But could you please answer your phone or call my mom back (Amanda) when she calls you? I know she calls and leaves messages about how you're ignoring me and stuff and it makes her really sad. She doesn't know I know this, though, so don't tell her. If you could, maybe you can just answer the phone for her? You don't have to answer for me, though, and I'll never try calling you on the phone. I'd rather send letters because I think I'd be super nervous if you did pick up and I did hear your voice again.

I think I'll end this letter here. I've said everything that needed to be said and I think this letter is long enough. And my hand is killing me! I should've typed this up, but I don't think it would be as personal. Enclosed in the envelope with this letter are pictures of me. I don't know if you'd ever want to see me again, but they're there just in case you want to see what I look like. And I don't want you to forget because my memory of how you look is already fading.

-Erica De Santa

* * *

Thank you so much to the people who supported this story, especially those from the very beginning, as well as the readers and especially my wonderful reviewers. This story was so much fun to write!

Now, I know a lot of you have been asking about a possible sequel to the story. I am strongly considering it and have somewhat of an idea of a plot. If you guys are interested, I'd love to write a sequel for all of you. If I do, it'll take place when Erica is in her early twenties. Would you be interested in that? Or should I leave this story without a sequel? Please PM or review and give me your opinions!

For now, I will probably start writing random GTA 5 one-shots so expect those in the near future!

Oh, and if you read this story from start to finish, you read 138 pages according to Microsoft word. If I were you, I'd feel super accomplished.


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